The Avatar Warriors
by TTAvatarfan
Summary: The clan cats have lived in peace for many moons. Now, a mysterious threat is taking over the forest, and the only way to stop it is to uncover the meaning of a mysterious prophecy, one that involves our four heroes. AvatarXWarriors crossover
1. Prolouge

The stars twinkled peacefully in the night sky, and a slight breeze blew through the trees. The same breeze ruffled a lone cat's sun-colored fur. He was looking up at the stars, as if searching for answers. A black and white she-cat approached him from behind, padding quietly over to sit at his side.

The sun-colored cat asked, still looking at the stars, "How is Lillyfoot?" "Her wounds are not deep, Sunstar," the she-cat replied, "She is young and strong and will soon heal". Sunstar replied simply, "Good." Sighing, he turned his gaze to the black and white cat beside him. "This is the fourth attack we've suffered," he said, "If it weren't for you, Pandafur, we would have lost most of our cats. Thunderclan can't afford to lose any warriors, especially now."

He paused, before adding, "We also have so few apprentices in training." Pandafur said softly, "Firepaw, Flamepaw, Winterpaw and Autumnpaw are good apprentices. They will make fine warriors." Sunstar knew she was trying to reassure him. Then he asked, "Have you heard any messages from Starclan?" Pandafur shook her head. "Starclan has been silent Sunstar."

Growing frustrated, Sunstar muttered, "But it can't be the will of Starclan for us to be destroyed!" Pandafur said nothing. The medicine cat simply gazed at the sky.

At that moment, the breeze picked up, rustling up the dirt and dew from the grass and swirled it around the two cats. Then, a comet streaked across the sky. Pandafur gasped. Sunstar looked over at her.

"What is it?"

"That was a message from Starclan. Air of gold, water of sapphire and earth of ebony will bring peace unto the forest."

Sunstar gazed at her quizzically. Then he turned his gaze back towards the sky. "You have never been wrong before, Pandafur. If Starclan says it, then it shall be so. Air, water and earth will bring peace to the forest."


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: Sorry I didn't do an author's note in the prologue, but I didn't know if it would download or not. So anyway, my first fanfic. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't Avatar, though I'm plotting to….

The night was peaceful. Above, the stars glittered. Below, a small campfire crackled merrily, keeping the cold of the night away from Aang, Katara, Sokka and Toph.

Aang leaned back and sank into Appa's fur, sighing contentedly. His friends mirrored his actions, leaning back as well. They hadn't eaten since the previous evening, until they came across the place they were in now. It was full of all kinds of food; fish, nuts, berries, you name it. They had eaten like kings.

Aang couldn't help but notice that this place seemed, somewhat familiar. He looked around, past the campsite and towards the woods. There was the faint sound of a river trickling in the distance and, Aang noted with disgust, the faint smell of carrion on the breeze. Where had he seen this place before? Then, his eyes widened as comprehension dawned.

"Hmmm…" Aang said in thought. Katara sat up. "What is it?" she asked.

"Just thinking."

"About what?"

"About this place. I've seen it before. Or rather, I've heard of it in a legend someone told me."

"What legend?" Toph asked, sitting up. Now everyone was looking at him curiously, even Sokka, waiting for him to break the silence that followed.

"A legend about four clans of cats that have lived here for ages," he started to say and then stopped, grinning mischievously. "But you guys probably don't want to hear it." Katara said quickly, "Yes we want to hear it!" Catching herself, she a bit more calmly, "Please." Aang smiled again, happy to have everyone's undivided attention and began his story:

"There were four clans of cats that have lived out here for generations; Thunderclan cats that lived in the forest, Riverclan cats that lived near the river, Windclan cats that lived on the open plains, and Shadowclan cats that live near a place called Carrion Place. The legend says the four clans represent the four seasons. They keep balance with each other. They also have a strong spiritual connection with what they call their warrior ancestors, or other warriors past. These cats fight for their survival, hunting animals and defending their territory. They defend each other and keep each other safe. They protect each other like a family."

Everyone stared at him as if they were hypnotized. "Of course it's just a legend," he said. Everyone snapped out of their trance when he spoke.

"I wonder what that would be like, being a cat in those clans, fighting for your life and your family," Katara said, half to herself. "Probably no different than our life now," Sokka muttered, folding his arms across his chest. "I think it sounds cool." Toph said. Katara asked, "What do you think Aang?" She noticed he wasn't even looking at her. Instead, he was looking at the sky, dumbstruck.

Katara and the others followed his bug-eyed stare and Katara gasped. Was it just her, or were the stars getting brighter? She heard Sokka's gasp echoed by her own and she heard Toph ask in a slightly panicked voice, "What's going on? What does everyone see?" Her question was never answered as the stars grew brighter and brighter until there was a bright flash in the sky and everything went black.

A/N: Hehe, evil cliffhanger, I know. I post the next chapter ASAP. Reviews would be nice…


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hi again! No reviews? Oh well! Here's Chapter 2!**

Aang groaned loudly as he struggled to awaken. The last thing he remembered was looking at the sky, seeing the stars get bright and then…nothing. When he finally did open his eyes, he looked around groggily. There was a river trickling on one side of him and a forest on the other. There was also a set of rocks arranged near the forest.

Aang stood up, but something didn't feel right. He looked down at his feet, or rather, paws. _Paws?_ What in the world was going on? He walked over as best he could to the river's edge to look at his reflection. What he saw nearly frightened the life out of him.

A very surprised looking cat stared back at him in the river's reflection. With a small shriek of surprise, Aang jumped backwards. Then after a few moments, he regained his composure and, curious, he stepped back up to the river's edge.

He was a cat alright. _Not a bad looking cat at that,_ he thought to himself. His fur resembled the color of a block of solid gold. Looking closer, he also noticed some things hadn't changed. His eyes were still a charcoal grey color and the arrow on his forehead was still there. Only this time, it was white, and ran down the back of his neck, split into two separate stripes, and then joined again at his white chest.

"Aang?" said a soft, groggy voice behind him. Aang jumped slightly, startled out of his trance. Then, he turned around to see none other than Katara. Or, at least, her voice sounded like Katara's. Katara was a cat to, with blue-grey fur and ice blue eyes that gleamed like sapphires. "Katara, you're a cat too?" Aang asked, padding over. "I think we all are," she said. As if to prove this, she turned her body so that she was looking at the two other cats that were lying down. Probably Sokka and Toph, Aang mused.

"What happened? Did we get captured again?" Sokka mumbled, sitting up. "Ugh, I feel like I got ran over or something," Toph groaned.

As Sokka woke up a little more, he screamed, "What the heck!? What happened…How did...What just….?" And he kept stuttering in half sentences, looking like he was going to have a heart attack.

"What happened?" Toph asked from some way off. It was times like this that she hated being blind because she never knew what the heck was going on.

Katara tried to say as calmly as she could, "Everyone just stay calm! We're all like this." "Like what?" Toph asked again, irritated that she wasn't getting straight to the point. Aang walked over to her closer before saying, "We're all…cats."

Now that everyone had calmed down, Aang was able to get a good look at Sokka and Toph. Sokka was the biggest cat out of all of them. His fur was stone grey, and he shrared his sister's sapphire blue eyes. Toph's fur was black and she had the same green film over her blind eyes.

"How in all the four nations did we get like this?" Sokka asked, looking himself over. Katara replied softly, "I don't know, but the more important question is, how do we change back."

Just then, a rustling was heard in the bushes near where the four cats stood. All of them froze and fixed their ears on the sound. Everything was quiet for a minute, before a blood red shape shot out from the bushes. Behind it, a smaller white shape hurled out of the bushes as well.

The two shapes were cats, and the reddish one lunged at Aang, barreling him over and pinning him on his back. He was dangerously close to the river's edge. The reddish cat pinned down his front and back legs, making any means of escape impossible. She glared down at Aang, anger and hatred flashing through her green eyes as she spat, "You! Who are you and what are you doing in Thunderclan territory?"


	4. Chapter 3

"Well?" the reddish cat asked, not to kindly. "I-I'm sorry!" Aang managed to stutter out, "We didn't know. If this is your territory, we'll leave." "Yeah, I'll bet!" the she-cat growled.

"Redfern, wait!" the smaller white cat called across the clearing. He had Katara, Sokka and Toph cornered. Then, he leaned over to sniff at them. "Smell them! They don't smell like they're from a rival clan." Redfern bent down and sniffed at the golden colored cat pinned underneath her, and wrinkling her nose, said, "They don't smell like they're from any clan at all." "They don't smell like rouges either, Redfern," the white cat said. "You're right," Redfern said thoughtfully, "Good work Winterpaw. But how do we know they're not a threat?"

"Well!" Sokka yelped across the clearing, "If you let us explain ourselves…" "Right," Redfern finished for him, "Let them go so they may speak, Winterpaw." Winterpaw stepped aside and Redfern let Aang go.

There was a moment of silence before Redfern asked irritably, "You never answered my question. Who are you and what are you doing in our territory?"

Aang had joined his friends when Redfern released him. Now, he stepped forward slightly and said as bravely as he could, "I'm Aang. These are my friends Katara, her brother Sokka and Toph." He pointed to each of them with his tail as he indicated their names. "Very strange names for cats," Redfern pointed out suspiciously. "That's because we're not cats, we're humans," Toph retaliated, a little annoyed.

"Humans?" Redfern questioned. "I think they mean Twolegs, Redfern," Winterpaw whispered to her. The reddish she-cat chuckled. "Well you're the funniest looking Twolegs I've ever seen."

"Sokka was about to retaliate when Katara placed the tip of her tail over his mouth, figuring it would be hopeless to argue, and instead decided to change the subject. "You said something about being in Thunderclan territory."

"Yup!" Winterpaw chirped, "In case you haven't already guessed, I'm Winterpaw and Redfern here is my mentor. She's training me to become a warrior!"

The four cat's eyes widened at Winterpaw's words. Hadn't they just heard a legend about something like this the night before?

"Hush up, Winterpaw!" Redfern hissed, "I think we should take them to see Sunstar before we tell them anything about our clan life." "Who's Sunstar?" Toph inquired. "He's the leader of Thunderclan," Redfern answered icily, still not trusting the newcomers, "He'll decide what to do with you."

Aang's eyes widened for a minute, then, he turned to his friends for an answer. Katara and he said to the clan cats, "Where else do we have to go? Alright, we'll follow you."

Redfern and Winterpaw nodded their understanding. "This way," Redfern said, taking the lead. She and Winterpaw bounded ahead into the bushes and Aang, Sokka, Katara and Toph quickly raced after them.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Whoops! Forgot to do an author's note _and_ a disclaimer in the last chapter! What is wrong with me!? wallows in self pity**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Avatar. Me stupid, like chicken! gets pelted with eggs by chicken lovers**

Katara felt as if her legs were about to fall off. She began to wonder if Redfern and Winterpaw were choosing the hardest way to get to their "camp", as they had called it, on purpose. They were probably testing the four friends, although Katara noticed Winterpaw glancing over his shoulder every so often. He seemed to be making sure they were keeping up okay.

Since the cats moved so lightly, it was hard for Toph to "see" which way they were going, thus it was hard for her to keep up. Katara was about to help, when she noticed Aang had beaten her to it. He was holding the scruff of Toph's neck in his jaws and leading her along.

Finally, after what felt like hours, Redfern announced, "We're here."

"Finally," Katara said in relief under her breath. Aang let go of Toph and she touched his shoulder with the tip of her tail in thanks.

Redfern and Winterpaw had led them to what looked like the entrance of the camp. It was a small gorse tunnel, just big enough for a cat to fit through. At the entrance of the tunnel sat a charcoal grey cat with even darker stripes running along his body.

The dark grey cat watched them as they approached. "Hello Redfern, Winterpaw, "he meowed. "Hello Darkstorm," Redfern replied.

Darkstorm glanced over her shoulder to size up the newcomers. "What have we here?" he asked curiously. "We found these cats on our territory, near Sunningrocks," Winterpaw replied, "We want to take them to see Sunstar."

Darkstorm nodded and stepped aside saying, "Go ahead."

The six cats moved through the gorse tunnel into the camp. When they got to the other side, the sight amazed them.

There were cats _everywhere_, warriors and apprentices alike. A little way off sat a cat with cream colored fur and a peculiar lightening shaped mark on his forehead. Redfern headed straight for him. "Lighteningbolt," she said, "I need to see Sunstar. Winterpaw and I found these four cats on our territory." She turned her head to indicate the newcomers. Lighteningbolt nodded and disappeared inside a small cave-like den. When he came back out, a cat with fur that resembled the color of the sun followed him.

_That must be Sunstar,_ Katara thought. Sunstar walked over to them and looked at them quickly. Then, he started to circle them, sniffing them all the while.

After a moment, he sat down and said, "You all look a bit too young to be traveling on your own. You two," he looked at Aang and Toph, "Couldn't be more than six moons old." He made a face, as if considering something before saying softly, "And you don't carry the scent of an enemy clan or rouge cat…"

"What are you getting at, Sunstar?" Lighteningbolt asked behind the clan leader. Still in thought, Sunstar answered, "I'm thinking that maybe, since we have few apprentices in training, and Thunderclan could use more warriors…"

"Are you suggesting they join the clan?" Redfern asked in shock, "But they don't carry warrior blood!"

"Too much of that has been spilled lately, Redfern," Sunstar replied, "And you don't know that for sure. What do you think Lighteningbolt?" he turned to address his deputy.

"I think," Lighteninbolt replied, "that you should do whatever you think is right, Sunstar." Then he asked the four bewildered cats in front of them, "Would you like to join Thunderclan?"

Aang stepped boldly to the front of his group, as he had before. He turned silently asking for their permission. Katara nodded and Sokka shook his head. Taking Katara's advice, he turned back towards Sunstar and nodded.

"Now then…" the Thunderclan leader started to say as he jumped on top of a particularly large looking rock. Then, he yowled, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highrock for a clan meeting."

Within moments, cats seemed to pour out from the fern and lichen walls of the camp. They all gathered beneath where Sunstar was standing while Aang and his friends stared in wonder. When all of the cats were settled, Sunstar began to speak.

"As you all know," he began. "We terribly need more warriors. Our current apprentices, Firepaw, Flamepaw, Winterpaw and Autumnpaw, however, will make fine warriors someday."

Winterpaw and the other apprentices near him basked in his praise.

"To continue, Redfern and her apprentice, Winterpaw, discovered four cats near Sunningrocks."

He looked down at the four cats beneath him, and everyone followed his gaze. Some glared at them, other's stares held only curiosity.

Sunstar concluded, "I would like these four young cats to join Thunderclan and train as apprentices." Mews of surprise rippled through the crowd of cats.

"Where in the warrior code does it say you can just take in outsiders to become warriors? They need warrior blood!" a yowl of objection rose from the crowd.

Sunstar glared at a long-haired tom in the back of the crowd. "Last time I checked, Longpelt, I was the leader of Thunderclan When you become clan leader you can make the decisions. For now, you'll just have to respect mine."

Longpelt sulked. Then, another voice rang out. It was Winterpaw. "The other apprentices and I think they would make great apprentices, Sunstar." They looked up at their leader hopefully.

Sunstar looked down at them warmly before turning his gaze to Aang, Katara, Sokka and Toph. He leaped down from the Highrock to address them. For a brief moment, he looked only at Aang, whose pelt stood out from his friends like day against night. "Your pelt is as golden as the sun," Sunstar told him. Then, the clan leader's eyes flashed briefly, as if there were some deeper meaning to those words. He swept his gaze over the others, eyeing them the same way.

Dismissing the thought for the moment, Sunstar called out for the clan to hear, "From this moment on, until they have earned their warrior names, these apprentices will be known as Nightpaw," he motioned to Toph with his tail, "Bravepaw," he motioned to Sokka, "Seapaw," he motioned to Katara, "And Goldpaw," he motioned to Aang. The rest of the clan cats called out their approval and the new cats' apprentice names.

"Hello Bravepaw, Seapaw!"

"Welcome Nightpaw!"

"Greetings Goldpaw!"

"Hey guys!" A voice called out. Once again it was Winterpaw, followed by the other apprentices. "Neat names too!" he chirped. "By the way, this is Autmnpaw, Firepaw and Flamepaw." He turned his head, indicating the apprentices behind him. They all nodded in greeting. Then, Winterpaw added, "Firepaw and Flamepaw are going to be made warriors soon!"

Just then, Sunstar called out again, "These new apprentices will need mentors. Ravenwing," a black cat with a white chest walked forward, "You will be mentor to Nightpaw. Come forward." Toph cautiously stepped forward, unsure what to do. Ravenwing, seeing that she was blind, came to her and touced noses with his new apprentice.

"Hawtalon, you will be mentor to Bravepaw." A massive long haired tom with powerful looking shoulders and a brownish coat stepped forward. Sokka very unsurely touched noses with his new mentor.

"Moonshadow, you will be mentor to Seapaw." "I guess that's me," Katara said to her friends. Then she stepped forward and touched noses with a beautiful blackish blue she- cat. "I look forward to training you, young Seapaw," Moonshadow said with a genuine smile.

"And Goldpaw," Sunstar paused, as if considering, before he said, "I will mentor you myself." Aang's eyes widened before Katara nudged his shoulder gently, encouraging him to move forward. Aang complied and touched noses with his new mentor.

The clan leader looked at him warmly before saying to the new apprentices, "Your training will begin tomorrow at sunrise. I look forward to seeing you all in action."


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hi again! Yay! I got my first reviews! Thank you everyone!**

**Snapple Heart: I'm glad you like it! This story was swimming around in my head for some time and I had to write it down before it killed me! XD Anyway, sorry but Zuko's not going to appear in this story. I tired to fit him in, but things got a little messy with the storyline, so yeah. **

**Avatarfanatic5: I know this story sounds more like Warriors than Avatar right now, but bear with me. Things will get more interesting as the story goes on. I have a killer ending in store so keep watching!**

**Disclaimer: No, sadly, I don't own Avatar: TLA. If I did everyone would be way OOC. Oh, and I don't own Warriors by Erin Hunter either.**

"We'll start by showing you the clan's boundaries," Moonshadow said not much later. "Ravenwing and Hawktalon, you come with us." The two toms bounded through the gorse tunnel. Moonshadow started to follow them, until she noticed how the new apprentices were hesitating. She stopped and looked over her shoulder and signaled with a flick of her tail to follow.

Aang started forward, bounding after her, followed closely by his friends.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The seven cats came back into the camp at sunset. All four of the new apprentices trudged back in through the gorse tunnel, exhausted. They hadn't had a workout like that in a long time.

All the while, Katara couldn't help but notice that the three warriors seemed awfully nervous and cautious. It was as if they were waiting for some unknown creature to jump out of the forest and attack them. Luckily nothing did.

"Goldpaw!" Winterpaw's excited mew rang out in the quiet of the camp. The white apprentice bounded happily over to his new friends.

"So how did it go?" Winterpaw asked, referring to their first part of training. All of their exhausted postures spoke volumes. "That bad, huh?" Winterpaw sympathized with them. "It's not that," Katara said quickly, "We're just not used to running that fast for so long."

Winterpaw nodded and meowed excitedly, "Guess what? I heard Sunstar talking with Foxfire and Sandclaw. They're Firepaw and Flamepaw's mentors, and they agree that they're ready to become warriors! Their warrior ceremonies are going to be tonight!"

As he had spoken, the sun had been going down and Sunstar had jumped onto the Highrock and called for a clan meeting. Winterpaw said happily to the group of mew apprentices, "C'mon! It's not every day an apprentice is mad into a warrior!" With that, they followed the white apprentice into the crowd of cats and sat next to him and Autmnpaw.

Sunstar began once everyone was settled, "I have talked with Foxfire and Sandclaw. They are, as you know, Firepaw and Flamepaw's mentors. We agree that it's time that these two apprentices were made into warriors."

Meows of agreement came from every one of the clan cats.

"So," Sunstar continued, "Firepaw and Flamepaw, come forward." The two apprentices complied, looking very much nervous and excited.

Sunstar called out, "I, Sunstar, leader of Thunderclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I condemn them to you as warriors in their turn."

He looked directly at the two apprentices and asked, "Firepaw, Flamepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect and defend this clan even at the cost of your lives?"

"I do," they answered in unison.

"Then by the powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior names. Firepaw, from this moment you will be known as Firestorm. Starclan honors your strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Thunderclan."

Firestorm walked forward a respectfully licked his leader's shoulder.

"Flamepaw, from this moment you will be known as Flametail. Starclan honors your bravery, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Thunderclan."

Flametail licked Sunstar's shoulder.

Soon, the clan cats began to chant the new warrior names, "Firestorm! Flametail! Firestorm! Flametail!"

"Tonight," Sunstar concluded, "Firestorm and Flametail will keep a silent vigil until sunrise."

After congratulating the new warriors, the clan cats began to disperse to their dens. Noticing this, Sokka asked, "Sooo… where do we sleep?" "In the apprentice's den," Winterpaw replied in a soft voice, "Follow me."

They all wordlessly followed Winterpaw and Autumnpaw to the den, except for Aang, who looked over his shouldet at the new warriors, who were sitting together in silence. It made him wonder if he and his friends would ever prove themselves and become warriors.

"Aang," Katara called softly from inside the den. Aang turned around and walked inside the apprentice's den, His friends and the other two apprentices were already lying down to sleep.

The golden colored apprentice lay down near his friends (or specifically, near Katara). The den was surprisingly warm and everything was dark and quiet. The only sound was the crickets chirping lazily in the early spring air outside. Feeling dizzy with exhaustion, Aang lay his head down and closed his eyes, and was asleep within moments.

**A/N: So there you have it, Chapter 5. Just so you all know, I'm going away to my aunt's in Ohio until Sunday, so I'm hoping that some kind souls will review while I'm gone. Have a happy Thanksgiving everyone!**


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey everybody I'm back! And guess what? I got a new puppy! He's a West Highland White Terrier (Westie) and his name is Chase. We got him while we were in Ohio. Anyway, on with the chapter!**

**star5855: That's one surprise I have in store (well, it's not so much of a surprise anymore) Aang, Katara and Toph will be able to bend in my story, they just don't know they can bend yet.**

**4olivesinned: Glad you liked it!**

**Avatarfanatic5: Don't worry, you're review didn't offend me. It was one of my first reviews so it made me happy! Thanks!**

"Goldpaw'" a somewhat ethereal voice said. Aang groaned and rolled over, trying to block out that annoying voice that was pulling him out of his sleep.

"Goldpaw," the voice said again, this time followed by a gentle nudge in the side. Aang finally opened his eyes and lifted his head, blinking sleepily at the cat that had woken him.

It was a dark brown she cat. Behind her was a paler brown cat. The dark brown cat said, "Sunstar told us to wake you up. It's a little past dawn." "Why so early?" Aang croaked.

The she cat blinked before replying, "I know it seems early now, But all of our apprentices get up this early. You'll get used to it. Now, wake your friends up. Your mentors are waiting for you outside."

She turned and headed to the entrance of the apprentices' den with the pale brown cat before she stopped and said, "I'm Lillyfoot by the way. This is my friend, Smallorchid." The paler cat nodded. Lillyfoot bounded away while Smallorchid said to the new apprentices, "After you wake up your friends, you might want to get something to eat. I take it you didn't eat last night." With that, she raced after Lillyfoot.

Getting tiredly to his paws, Aang surveyed the apprentices' den. He noticed Winterpaw and Autumnpaw were gone. All that remained were the sleeping forms of his friends.

Gently, he nudged Katara awake. She stared up at him sleepily. "Sorry," Aang murmured apologetically, "A couple of cats told me to wake you guys up. They said our mentors were waiting for us to continue our training."

It took a minute for Aang's words to penetrate her mind, but when they did, Katara nodded and soundlessly stood up. She padded over to where her brother was sleeping and woke him while Aang woke up Toph.

When everyone was awake, Sokka said, "I could have sworn I heard someone mentioning food. I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving!"

"Me too," Toph added.

"So am I," Aang said.

Katara nodded in understanding, knowing that she herself was hungry. However, as they walked out of the den, they saw their mentors with the exception of Sunstar outside waiting for them. Hawktalon didn't look happy.

"You're late," he said sternly. Moonshadow intervened, "It's only their first full day of training, Hawktalon. Cut them a break. Besides, they must be hungry. The fresh kill pile is over there." She nodded off to the side. "Get something to eat and then meet us back here."

"Finally!" Sokka exclaimed and made a mad dash for the fresh kill pile. The others followed with more dignity.

"Mmmm, this is really good!" They heard Sokka say. He had chosen a field mouse, Katara watched disbelievingly as Sokka actually shared his mouse with Toph. Katara looked at the pile briefly before her eyes lit up when she saw a fat, juicy looking rabbit. Licking her lips hungrily, she pulled the rabbit off the pile before settling down to eat it. Surprisingly, it didn't taste bad at all. Developing a taste for fresh kill must have come along with changing into a cat.

However, she noticed that a certain golden-colored apprentice hadn't joined them. Katara looked up from her rabbit to see Aang sitting off to the side. She looked at him questioningly. Didn't he just mention he was hungry earlier?

Then it dawned on her. As a human he had been a vegetarian and refused to eat meat of any sort. Apparently, some things never changed.

Still, he had to be starving.

Katara blinked sympathetically. Then, she stepped aside a said coaxingly, "C'mon Aang. It _is_ really good."

Aang shook his head. "No thanks."

But Katara was persistent. "I heard you say you were hungry earlier. Doesn't it smell good?"

She was beginning to cut through his defenses. The rich smell of the rabbit drifted up to his nose. Just as he opened his mouth to protest, his stomach growled loud enough for her to hear. Aang flattened his ears and lowered his head.

Katara smiled warmly and nudged the rabbit under his paws. Very hesitantly, he bent down and took a bite. After a minute of tasting the rabbit meat, he looked up at Katara who looked down at him expectantly.

"Well?" she asked.

He replied calmly, "Just to let you know, this doesn't change a thing. When we figure out how to change back, I'm never eating meat again. For now, I guess I don't have a choice."

He smiled at her and she smiled back. With that, they settled down and finished the rabbit off.

After everyone had finished eating, they ran over to meet their mentors. Ravenwing looked gently down at the young apprentices before saying, "Why don't we get started then?"


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: Well, here's the next chapter!**

Aang and his friends continued to train for many days, slowly being transformed from the gangly apprentices they had been, into lean, hard muscled forest cats. They learned how to hunt and how to fight. Even though he had sort of neglected Aang before, Sunstar turned out to be a very kind and capable mentor. It seemed that the Thunderclan leader had matched his apprentices with their mentors very well.

One day, Sunstar leaped onto the Highrock and called out, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highrock for a clan meeting."

In no time at all, all of the clan cats were sitting at the base of the Highrock. Seeing that everyone was settled, Sunstar announced, "Tonight is the full moon. That means, tonight I and other apprentices and warriors will go to Fourtrees for the Gathering."

"Who's going to the Gathering, Sunstar?" Autumnpaw asked.

Sunstar was silent for a minute, contemplating this before he came up with an answer.

"All of apprentices will come with me and the warriors will be Firestorm, Flametail, Redfern and Yellowmoon."

_Yellowmoon,_ Aang thought,_ That's Autumnpaw's mentor._

"I can't believe it!" Autumnpaw said excitedly, "It's been ages since I've been to a Gathering. I can't wait!"

Winterpaw looked just as excited. "I'll be able to see my friend Loneheart again!"

"Okay, I'm lost," Sokka said confusedly. "Yeah, what's a Gathering anyway?" Toph asked. "And what's Fourtrees?" Katara added.

"Fourtrees is where the Gathering takes place," Winterpaw explained. "It's the center of all four of the clans, where all of our boundaries meet. It's also the only time the four clans meet in peace."

"So, cats from other clans will be there?" Aang asked curiously.

"Yep!" Winterpaw answered happily.

Aang thought about this. He was nervous and excited at the same time because he had never seen the other clan cats before. This would be interesting. And apparently from the looks on his friend's faces, they were thinking the same thing.

Now all they had to do was wait until the full moon rose tonight.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"It's time to go," Winterpaw announced later that night. The warriors Sunstar had called upon to come with him earlier bounded through the gorse tunnel. The apprentices quickly followed.

"So, besides other clan cats, what else are we going to see at the Gathering?" Katara asked, trying to make conversation. "You'll see the other clan leaders," Yellowmoon answered.

"Who are the other clan leaders?" Toph inquired. Firestorm answered her.

"Wolfstar is the leader of Windclan, Reedstar is the leader of Riverclan, and Jaggedstar is the leader of Shadowclan."

"Will the deputies be there?" Toph asked again.

"They should be," Flamtail said, "In case you're wondering, the deputy of Riverclan is Runningbrook, the Shadowclan deputy is Whitefang, and Windclan's deputy is Cougarclaw."

Flametail stole a brief glance at Lighteningbolt, who was up in the front with Sunstar.

"Winterpaw," Aang addressed the white apprentice, "You said something about a cat named Loneheart."

"Oh yeah!" Winterpaw exclaimed as he remembered. "Loneheart is from Shadowclan. He's been a warrior for some time now, and he's one of my best friends."

"We're here," Sunstar announced from the head of the group. Aang and his friend's heads snapped up. They had been so absorbed in their conversation that they hadn't noticed how far they had gone.

They had arrived on top of a small grassy hill. It overlooked what must have been Fourtrees, and when they all got to the top, Aang heard Katara gasp. There were so many cats that it was hard to see them individually.

Sunstar motioned for them to follow with a flick of his tail. Everyone stuck close together until they reached the bas of Foutrees.

It took a minute to take in all the sights. There were elders exchanging gossip, queens congratulating each other on new litters of kits, and apprentices and warriors talking about past battles.

"Goldpaw! Bravepaw!" Aang heard Winterpaw call out. "I want you to meet my friend, Loneheart of Shadowclan."

A brown tabby tom stepped forward and dipped his head in greeting. "It's very nice to meet you," he meowed. Aang and Sokka dipped their heads respectfully before Aang greeted, "Nice to meet you too."

Meanwhile, Autmnpaw was introducing some of her friends to Katara and Toph. "Seapaw, Nightpaw, I want you to meet, Riverpaw and Amberpaw…" "Actually," the two cats interrupted, "It's River_jewl_ and Amber_pelt_ now." "Sorry," Autumnpaw apolligized, "Riverjewel and Amberpelt of Riverclan…wait that means you guys are warriors now! Are you all warriors?"

Her friends nodded. "Then what are your new names?" the Thunderclan apprentice asked.

A black cat answered, "I'm now Blackpool of Shadowclan and this is Nightshade, also a Shadowclan cat."

"And now I'm Plumblossom of Windclan," another she cat answered.

"Congratulations," Autumnpaw said rather sadly. She looked away longingly. "Don't worry," Amberpelt said reassuringly, "You'll be made a warrior soon enough." Autumnpaw managed to give her a weak smile before a yowl sounded from the Great Rock at the front of Fourtrees. All heads turned in that direction.

A cat stood there that Katara didn't recognize. Riverjewel noticed her confusion and whispered, "That's Reedstar."

Reedstar looked down on the crowd of cats before declaring, "Cats of Riverclan! I'm sure you like me believe that Sunningrocks belongs rightfully to Riverclan. So I ask you, Sunstar, to give us Sunningrocks peacefully, because if you don't, then be prepared to fight."


	9. Cast of Characters

**Cast of Characters**

**Thunderclan **

Leader: Sunstar- sun colored tom, amber eyes

Deputy: Lightneningbolt- cream colored with a lightening shaped mark , unusual light grey eyes

Medicine cat: Pandafur- black and white she cat, yellow eyes

Warriors: Hawktalon- strong bodied long haired tom, golden eyes

Ravenwing-black tom with a white chest, yellow green eyes

Longpelt- brown long haired tom

Scarface- heavy set brown tabby tom with a scared face

Lillyfoot- dark brown she cat with green eyes

Smallorchid- light brown she cat with pale blue eyes

Redfern- blood red she cat with green eyes

Sandclaw- sand colored tom

Foxfire- bright orange she cat, orange eyes

Moonshadow- beautiful blue black she cat with bright blue eyes

Yellowmoon- grey tabby with pale yellow eyes

Darkstorm- charcoal grey tabby

Apprentices: Flamepaw-orange tabby tom

Firepaw-dark red tabby tom

Winterpaw- white tom with blue eyes

Autumnpaw- tortoiseshell calico, amber eyes

Goldpaw (aka Aang)- young tom with rich golden coat and a white arrow marking, dark grey eyes

Seapaw (aka Katara)- blue grey she cat with icy blue eyes

Bravepaw (aka Sokka)- muscular tom with stone colored fur and icy blue eyes

Nightpaw (aka Toph)- midnight black she cat with light green eyes

Queens: Rainflower- pale red she cat with golden eyes

Silvercloud- silver tabby, light blue eyes

**Riverclan**

Leader: Reedstar- black tom with green eyes

Deputy: Runningbrook- dark tan tabby she cat, bluish grey eyes

Medicine cat: Mistcloud-misty grey cat, green eyes

Warriors: Iceclaw- dark grey tom

Mudwhisker- muddy colored tom with very long whiskers

Oceansurf- blue grey she cat, blue eyes

Silverwave- tabby she cat, light blue eyes

Salmontail- brown tom with long fur

Birdflight-grey tabby she cat

Riverjewel- long haired silver tabby

Amberpelt- amber colored she cat

Apprentices: Flowerpaw- light brown she cat

Littlepaw- small brown tabby

Mistypaw- light grey she cat

Tanpaw- light tan tom

Queens: Springflower- pale amber tabby

Bluesplash- dark blue grey she cat with dark blue eyes

**Windclan**

Leader: Wolfstar- old grey tom with a bushy tail

Deputy: Cougarclaw- brown coated tom

Medicine cat: Pandalilly- black and white she cat with stripes

Warriors: Tigerlilly- light brown tabby

Summerwind- dark brown tom, green eyes

Sunshineagle- grey and white senior tom

Dunstripe- dun colored tom with a dorsal stripe

Rosebud- pale brown she cat

Moonflower- dark grey, almost black she cat

Plumblossom- light brown she cat

Blizzardfur- massive muscular white tom, one blue eye and one green eye

Owlfeather- golden amber tabby

Raccoonface- beautiful ragdoll colored she cat with long fur and shocking blue eyes

Apprentices: Rabbitpaw- grey tom with a white belly

Snowpaw- white long haired tom

Rainpaw- light grey tom

Spottedpaw- amber tom with a dappled coat

Smallpaw- solid brown she cat

Badgerpaw- black and white tom with long front claws

Queens: Wildflower- light golden colored cat, amber eyes

Desertrain- tannish she cat

**Shadowclan**

Leader: Jaggedstar- dark brown tom

Deputy: Whitefang- brownish tan tom with unusually long fangs

Medicine cat: Sorrelfur- sorrel colored she cat

Warriors: Leopardcloud- muscular tom with a clouded coat and light blue eyes

Littlecolt- small dark brown tabby

Bearclaw- dark brown tom

Dragonfire- grey tom with a tan belly and dark orange eyes

Loneheart- muddy brown tabby tom

Firelight- orangish she cat with yellow eyes

Blackpool- black she cat with yellow eyes

Nightshade- charcoal grey she cat

Apprentices: Mousepaw- mouse colored she cat

Redpaw- red tabby tom

Lionpaw- golden tom

Ivypaw- dark grey she cat

Queens: Blackdawn- black she cat with golden eyes

Dragonfly- grey she cat

Goldenheart- golden tabby

**Cats Outside of Clans**

**Bending Cats**

Leader: Samurai-earth, brown tabby tom, green eyes

Second in command: Nisha-air, grayish gold she cat, amber eyes

Other cats: Lita-water, dark grey she cat with blue eyes

Inaba-air, tan she cat with a black dorsal stripe

Sora-air, light gold she cat

Shyro-fire, reddish tom

Nyu-water, blue grey tom

Quita-water, blue grey she cat

Zina-fire, black she cat with yellow eyes

Inbi-earth, muddy colored she cat

Inochi-earth, muddy tabby she cat

Azara-fire, black she cat with orange eyes

Yan-air, tan she cat

Mairu-earth, light brown tabby

Nali-water, dark grey tom

Luta-water, blue grey tom

Kya- water, blue grey tom, Luta's twin

Tala-air, light grey she cat, light grey eyes

Ania-air, light brown she cat, dark grey eyes

Luora-water, dark grey she cat

Zalu-fire, black tom

Kura-water, dark tabby she cat

**A/N: Thought you guys might want to know about all the cats that are in the clans. I tried to submit this before, but it wouldn't download.**

**12/12/06:**

**Changed one of the names because my friend ironhide11 told me to. Leopardtooth is now Leopardcloud!. **

**12/22/06:**

**Update! Now everyone knows what they look like! And just so everyone knows, three of these cats do exist. Sunshineagle, Blizzardfur, and Raccoonface are my cats. Their real names are Sunshine, Blizzard and Duchess. **


	10. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers! You guys are awesome!**

**Avatarfanatic5: I'm so glad you liked those two chapters. You want to know my secret to coming up with names? First of all, I had way to much time on my hands last summer (when I first started planning this story) and was able to write the names down. I looked at names in the book and made some adjustments, like the cat Sorreltail in the series, I altered the name and made a cat in my story named Sorrelfur. Two other cats names are Blizzardfur and Sunshineagle. I wanted to put two of my cats in my story, whose names are Blizzard and Sunshine. Anyway, thanks for your reviews!**

**Shirina: Thanks!**

**ironhide11: Yeah!!!!!! You finally found my story! Don't worry, I'm updating as fast as I can.**

**On with the story!**

Surprised mews sounded from the clan cats. Yowls of objection rose from Thunderclan while most of the Riverclan cats agreed with their leader.

"Reedstar," Sunstar began, "We won't give you Sunningrocks. You'll have to fight us for it!" "Very well," Reedstar answered in a low voice before turning around and leaving the rock he was standing on. Jaggedstar took his place.

"I have terrible news," the Shadowclan leader began.

"Great, just what we need," Winterpaw muttered to Aang and Sokka, "More bad news."

"Whitefang is dead," Jaggedstar said sadly. Meows of grief and surprise were heard. "Who was Whitefang?" Aang asked. "He was the Shadowclan deputy," Loneheart answered. "What happened to him?" one cat asked. "We don't know," Jaggedstar answered. "We found him dead on the border. I only know that something killed him, but I am unsure what."

"Who's the new deputy?" another cat asked.

The Shadowclan leader stated proudly, "Loneheart is the new deputy of Shadowclan."

Winterpaw, Aang and Sokka looked at Loneheart in surprise. "Why didn't you tell us?" Sokka asked disbelievingly. "I wanted it to be a surprise," the brown tabby tom said shrewdly. Winterpaw broke out of his stare and congratulated his friend.

Next, it was Sunstar's turn. "I would like to start by saying that two of our apprentices have been made into warriors. Firepaw and Flamepaw are now Firestorm and Flametail." Congratulatory mews were aimed at the two young warriors.

"Also," Sunstar continued, "We have four new apprentices in training. Their names are Nightpaw, Bravepaw, Seapaw and Goldpaw."

Everyone looked over at the four young apprentices. They all (except Toph, who couldn't see them) looked away, embarrassed.

"Finally," Sunstar concluded, "One of our queens, Rainflower, is close to kitting." Every cat meowed their approval.

The rest of the meeting was a blur as Wolfstar took Sunstar's place on the Great rock and shared similar news. It wasn't long before the four clans went their separate ways back into their own territory.

Aang never thought he'd ever been this happy to see the apprentice's den before. Slowly and tiredly, they followed Winterpaw and Autumnpaw into the den before collapsing with exhaustion. In no time at all they were asleep within moments.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Sunstar! Sunstar!" Katara heard a she cat named Silvercloud's excited voice the next morning.

"Rainflower had her kits!"

"When?" the Thunderclan leader asked.

"Last night! You and the rest of the clan can see them if you'd like. She's ready for visitors."

So, without hesitation, Silvercloud led Sunstar to the nursery.

_New kits?_ Katara thought. _Well, maybe we can go see them later._

She looked over at her sleeping companions, noting that Aang was quite close to her. She smiled and got to her paws, deciding it would be best if they got up. Gently, very gently, she prodded Aang's side with a paw. "Aang, wake up," she whispered. The golden-colored apprentice murmured something before opening his eyes and looking at Katara sleepily.

"C'mon, get up. Rainflower had her kits last night. We should go see them." Aang nodded in agreement before he and Katara woke up Sokka and Toph.

All four of them stepped out into the warm, early morning sunshine. Aang breathed in deeply, taking in all the morning smells: the smell of sun warmed fur, wet soil, fresh grass, the fresh kill pile…

Oh. Now he remembered that he and his friends hadn't eaten anything last night. They made their way to the fresh kill pile and ate their fill. Then, they made their way over to the nursery.

An orangish-red she cat sat at the entrance. Foxfire, if Aang remembered correctly. She was once Firestorm's mentor. "Hello," she greeted them pleasantly, "Are you here to see the kits?" "Yes," Katara replied quietly. Foxfire nodded and stepped aside.

The nursery was warm and quiet and it smelled of newborn kits and warm milk. The whole place, in a weird way, made Aang feel comforted and safe.

And there, nestled in some fresh bedding, lay Rainflower and her kits, three of them. "Oh they're beautiful," Katara breathed. "Thank you," Rainflower murmured. "So who's the proud father?" Sokka asked. "Sandclaw," Rainflower said with a smile.

"They sound and smell healthy," Toph added, listening to the little squeaks the kits made. "Yes." Rainflower nuzzled her kits. "Yes they do."

Just then, a yowl of alarm broke the peaceful quiet. "We'd better go," Katara said to Rainflower, already nosing her companions out the entrance. The Thunderclan queen nodded in understanding.

When they got outside, they saw Flametail, panting, scratched and eyes wide with fear. Sunstar approached him anxiously.

"What is it?"

"It's Riverclan," Flametail panted, "They're attacking at Sunningrocks!"

**A/N: Haha! Eeeeeevil cliffhanger! But fear not, my faithful fans, I will update ASAP. Enjoy the season finale!**


	11. Chapter 9

**A/N: Just got back from my dad's house. I watched the season finale there since we don't have cable (everyone gasps), and I seriously almost cried. The end was so sad! Now we got to wait till like New Years for the new season to start. I may do a one-shot about the season finale…**

**goldenwing57: Sorry you couldn't get your story up. Thanks for reviewing! I'm sooo glad you found my story!**

**Avatarfanatic5: Well, it came, it went, and now I get to tape it… -grins evilly-**

**Silverwish of Starclan**: Thanks for reviewing! I'm so glad you liked my story! And I swear you're like my twin or something because I have season 1 on DVD and I have the rest of the episodes taped. I've only read up to Starlight though. My mom and I can't fine the darn book because it's checked out at all the libraries…-grumbles to self-

**Atmos: Thanks for all of your reviews. I'll see what I can do. This is my first full length story and I'm still a little new at this. Just so everyone else knows out there, I appreciate constructive criticism and try to take it to heart.**

**And now, the moment you've all been waiting for…**

"I guess Reedstar wasn't kidding," Toph said to Sunstar as she and her friends approached. Sunstar glanced at them briefly before he gave orders.

"All of you," he commanded to the four apprentices standing in front of him, "go to Sunningrocks. Take Foxfire, Hawktalon, Sandclaw, Firestorm and Darkstorm with you. Flametail, go see Pandafur. She'll take care of those scratches for you. Now all of you, hurry!"

Without another word, the four apprentices recruited the warriors Sunstar asked for and took off for Sunningrocks.

When they arrived, they saw a heated battle already underway. The five warriors raced into the battle without hesitation. "Well c'mon!" Sokka shouted to his companions. "Let's not keep Riverclan waiting!"

The four of them raced into the battle. However, Katara stopped for a minute. She noticed Winterpaw and Autumnpaw fighting a vicious looking tom off to the side. But no matter how vicious he may have been, the two apprentices beat him easily, sending him yowling back into Riverclan territory. She took a brief look at all of the Riverclan cats, and sent a silent thanks to the spirits that Riverjewel and Amberpelt were not among them. At least she didn't have to fight new friends. With that being thought, she pounced on a silver queen.

A growl rose in Aang's throat as he faced a tom at least twice his size. Aang's fur bristled and his eyes blazed, and with a screech, he launched himself at the tom. They rolled on the ground in a heaving, writhing mass of fur. Strangely, Aang didn't feel any fear at all, only exhilaration. His world had gone almost completely silent, except for the sound of blood roaring in his ears, as he focused solely on the other tom. He managed to get on top of the enemy and bit the tom's shoulder blade, hard. The big cat ran off, screeching in pain.

Toph was trying hard to fend off enemies she couldn't quite "see" because they moved too lightly to sense. The cats she was trying to fend off cornered her at the edge of the river, taking the fact that she was blind to their advantage. Sokka was trying desperately to get to her, to help her. The enemy cats leaped. With a whimper of fear, Toph braced herself for the oncoming onslaught. Instead, she heard a small rumbling noise, and when nothing else happened, she looked up. Confused, Toph walked forward a little and felt an earthen wall in front off her. Listening hard, she could just barely hear the sound of the Riverclan cats that attacked her running away._ But that wall wasn't there before_, Toph thought, _Unless…_

She leaped on top of the rock and called to her friends, "Aang! Katara! We can bend!"

Aang and Katara were fighting side by side when they heard Toph's call echo through the battlefield.

"We can bend?!" Katara exclaimed.

"Well then," Aang stated confidently, "That changes things!"

With that said, he whipped his tail and sent a powerful air current that knocked two enemy cats across the border. Katara and Toph used waterbending and earthbending to drive the rest of the Riverclan cats across the border. Thunderclan yowled a victory.

Winterpaw and Autumnpaw ran across the grass to their friends. "How did you guys do that!?" Winterpaw exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Autumnpaw added. "That was amazing!"

Katara opened her mouth, about to say 'I told you, we were humans before'. But then, she decided it would be pointless to try and convince them now when didn't believe them before, and instead said, "We're… gifted cats."

"Well come on!" Autumnpaw called, already heading back to camp, "Let's go back and tell Sunstar!"

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Sunstar was just as impressed, if not more so. He looked at all six off the apprentices and praised, "I'm proud of you, all of you. In fact..," he looked at Winterpaw and Autumnpaw, then at Darkstorm.

"How did they do in the battle?" he asked the charcoal grey warrior.

"They fought well, Sunstar."

Sunstar nodded and jumped onto the Highrock, calling for a clan meeting. Once everyone was seated beneath him, he called into the crowd, "I've called you all here because I think you'll agree with me when I say, it's time Winterpaw and Autumnpaw were made into warriors."

The crowd yowled their approval.

Sunstar motioned for the two apprentices to join him on the Highrock. He called out into the night sky, "I, Sunstar, leader of Thunderclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look upon these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of you noble code, and I condemn them to you as warriors in their turn. Winterpaw, Autumnpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect and defend this clan even at the cost of your lives?"

"I do," they answered in unison.

"Then by the powers of Starclan, I give your warrior names. Winterpaw, from this moment you will be known as Winterfrost. Starclan honors your courage, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Tunderclan."

Winterfrost licked his leader's shoulder.

"Autumnpaw, from this moment you will be known as Autumnleaf. Starclan honors your wisdom, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Thunderclan."

The clan cats chanted the new warrior names, and the two new warriors noticed that Aang, Katara, Sokka and Toph seemed to be chanting their names the loudest.

"Winterfrost! Autumnleaf! Winterfrost! Autumnleaf!"

"Tonight," Sunstar concluded, "Winterfrost and Autumnleaf will keep a silent vigil. I'll see you all in the morning."

**A/N: Well? Did anyone like my first attempt at a battle scene? I had fun writing it. Review please!**


	12. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey again. I'm not supposed to be typing chapters until I get a project for English done, so don't anyone tell my mom! **

**ironhide11: Geez Mindi, way to freak out. Although, I'm mad too. I can't believe Zuko and I seriously want to kill Azula. Anyone got a machine gun?**

**RunningStorm: Thanks for all of your advice! I'm glad you like my story!**

**Avatarfanatic5: Yes, they can bend. I felt the story was a little too Warriorsish so I had to put that in there.**

**And heeeeere we go!**

A moon had passed since Winterfrost and Autumnleaf became warriors, which meant, it was time for another Gathering. This time, Sunstar took his deputy, Aang, Katara, Moonshadow, Hawktalon, Ravenwing, Winterfrost, Longpelt, Scarface and Autumnleaf.

Aang and his friends were not fond of Longpelt or Scarface. The two cats seemed to hate the four apprentices from the day they came to Thunderclan. Aang doubted it was because they thought they were still "outsiders". There was something more, he just knew it…

The Gathering was somewhat boring and uneventful. Shadowclan and Riverclan were doing well; new kits had been born, there were new apprentices in training. Sunstar discussed Rainflower's new kits, which had been named Desertkit, Redkit and Butterflykit. He also discussed Winterfrost and Autumnleaf's warrior ceremonies.

Then, Wolfstar and another cat unfamiliar to Aang and Katara took Sunstar's place on the Great Rock. A cat Katara had made friends with named Moonflower of Windclan cleared up their confusion.

"That's our deputy, Cougarclaw."

Cougarclaw hadn't been on the Great Rock for five seconds before he spat, "Thunderclan is stealing prey from Windclan!"

Yowls of objection rose from Thunderclan. "Thunderclan has never stolen prey from Windclan!" Lighteningbolt argued.

"Then why is our prey disappearing?" Cougarclaw asked unkindly. "We hardly have any rabbits to eat and our clan is starving!"

Sunstar shouted to be heard over his yowling clan. "You don't have any right to be accusing Thunderclan of stealing prey! Do you have any proof?"

"Cougarclaw, please," Wolfstar intervened, "We have no right to start a quarrel without any proof. We can't go around accusing clans."

Cougarclaw growled and jumped off the rock.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

It didn't take long before the prey shortage had hit all the clans, including Thunderclan. The good news though was that Windclan could no longer accuse Thunderclan of stealing prey. Even so, warriors and apprentices hunted from dawn until dusk and yet they still couldn't seem to gather enough prey. Most of the clan went to their dens hungry.

Aang shook his head in disdain as he headed to the apprentice's den. With the shortage of prey and the lack of sleep everyone was experiencing, all the cats could seem to do was argue. Aang stopped and shook himself, trying to drive away that funny feeling that had settled in the pit of his stomach. Something weird was going on…

He entered the apprentice's den to see his friends settling down for the night. Aang walked in and laid down rather forcefully with a frustrated sigh. Katara immediately knew something was up.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

He sat up and blinked at her for a moment, as if considering what he was going to say, before answering, "Ever get a weird feeling like something big is going on but you don't know what it is?"

"No, not really," Katara answered, a bit confused.

"Well," Aang continued, "There's something going on here, I know it. I mean, since when does prey just disappear? It's all a bit fishy, don't you think?"

Katara was about to reply, when she heard a voice from the mouth or the tunnel. It was Scarface.

"The fresh kill pile is growing small," he said.

"Wow, new news," Sokka drawled,

"I want you all to go hunt at the farm," Scarface continued, ignoring Sokka's comment, "I trust you all know where that is?"

Katara opened her mouth to argue, to say it was already growing dark out, when she felt Aang place the tip of his tail over her mouth, figuring it would be pointless to argue.

"The clan could use more fresh kill, Katara," he said reassuringly.

"Fine," Katara muttered, eyeing Scarface suspiciously. The four of them headed out of the safety of the warm den and into the cold night air. They bounded through the gorse tunnel, leaving Scarface smiling smugly after them.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The four apprentices crept quietly through the darkness until they reached the farm. It was a dark place that looked like it had been deserted for moons. Everything about it looked foreboding. Aang shivered, despite the warm evening.

"Well," he began, "I guess we should split up. That way, we can cover more ground." The others nodded in agreement and went their separate ways.

It was hard to focus on the hunt for Katara. She just couldn't seem to shake the feeling that she was being watched. Katara crept along a little further before she heard a twig snap. She froze fixing her ears on the sound. Nothing. _It was just the wind,_ she told herself, _Just the wind._

Then, she heard a rustling in the tall grass surrounding the farm. Katara froze again. A shape among the shadows moved before revealing itself.

It was a big dog. No, big wasn't the right word. The dog was massive, enormous! It had sharp teeth that glinted in the moonlight. Behind it, were three more dogs that stood just as tall.

Katara did the only thing she could. She ran, and screamed, a shriek of pure terror as the dogs gave chase.


	13. Chapter 11

**A/N: Haha! I have returned! Well, I was never really gone. Anyway, half day at school today! Whoooooooo! **

**ironhide11: Yes! Die doggies! And my English project needs to die!**

**star5855: I like the fact they can bend, too. It makes the story more interesting!**

**RunningStorm: Well, here it is!**

**Avatarfanatic5: Yeah, if you haven't noticed, I like doing evil cliffhangers. –laughs manically-**

**767inuyasha767: Yes, I love Warriors! I've read up to Starlight and my favorite book in the series up to now is The Darkest Hour. I love fight scene in it at the end!**

**And now, all those burning questions will be answered…**

Aang's head shot up at the soundof Katara's scream. With a feeling of rising dread, he instinctively called out to her.

"Katara!"

"Aang! Help me!"

At that moment, he saw the dogs. In front of them, Katara was running for her life, only inches away from the lead dog's snapping jaws.

Scared for Katara, and not even realizing what he was doing, Aang ran like a shot right in front of the raging pack. Seeing a new target, the dogs abandoned the first chase and took up a new one, following the golden colored cat across the field.

Skidding to a stop, Katara called over her shoulder, "Aang! What are you doing?"

"Just find the others and get out of here!" he called back. "I'll be okay!"

Torn, Katara fought off the urge to ignore his orders and help him. Instead, she called out for her friends.

"Sokka! Toph! Where are you?"

"Katara! Over here!"

She heard a rustling sound in the grass before Sokka and Toph appeared in front of her.

"Where's Aang?" Sokka asked.

"Distracting the dogs," Katara answered, her voice thick with worry.

Her friends simply stared at her. Sokka approached her and licked her reassuringly between the ears. "Don't worry," he said in a soothing voice, "Aang will be fine."

"Yeah," Toph added, "If anyone can outrun dogs, it would be him. He's probably already on his way back."

Katara nodded, not convinced. "We have to get out of here," she said. Just then, all four of the cats froze at the familiar sounds of the dog pack.

ooooo

Aang felt like he was running faster than the wind, but no matter how fast he ran, it seemed like the dogs were always right behind him. They were so close, he could feel their hot breath on his tail.

Adrenaline and the most intense amount of fear he had ever felt powering his strides, Aang made a mad dash for a hollowed out log near the edge of the forest. He dove into it and crouched down on the inside. The dogs started to claw at the inside of the log when they reached it only seconds after Aang dove inside.

Aang gasped in fear as he narrowly dodged one dog's swiping paw. He knew he couldn't stay in here much longer. Thinking quickly, he drew in a huge gulp of air.

_Spirits, help me,_ he prayed silently, and blew hard. The blow knocked him straight into the dog clawing at the log behind him. Regaining his senses, Aang stood up quickly and took off for the barn to meet up with his friends, although he secretly hoped they were back at the Thunderclan camp. After he had run a few yards, he heard the dogs following him.

Increasing his speed and panting hard, Aang broke into the tall grass that surrounded the farm, the dogs only yards behind him. To his horror, he spotted a familiar blue grey pelt between the blades of grass. He ran toward it to see Katara and the others already running away from the sounds of the approaching pack. He called to them to make his presence known.

"Guys! Over here!"

"Aang!" That was Katara's voice, laden with relief. But there was no time for a reunion. Meeting up with each other quickly, they began looking for a good hiding place, listening to the ever approaching sounds of the dog pack.

"Quick! Head for the barn!" Sokka shouted. They veered sharply to the right, the dogs following their every move. They spotted a small opening in the barn walls, just big enough for a cat to squeeze through. The four of them headed straight for it. Just when they were about to reach it, a gigantic dog blocked their path. He snarled at them and advanced.

The four cats were forced to back up. They tried running in the opposite direction, but another dog cut them off. Soon, all four of the dogs of the dogs started to advance on them until the four cats were cornered against the barn wall. With a menacing snarl, the lead dog leaped forward, ready to kill.

Katara whimpered in fear and buried her face into Aang's side, preparing for death. Instead, they heard a pained yelp and a thud. Looking up, they saw a strong wall made of earth in front of them before it sunk into the ground.

"Toph?" Sokka asked.

"That wasn't me," she replied.

"Then how…" Katara started to say before Aang cut her off.

"Look," he said in a hushed whisper.

A dark shape stood silhouetted against the night sky, only visible by the pale rays of moonlight. It was a cat, that much was certain. It's yellow eyes blazed with fury. Behind it, four more cats stood, looking equally as angry.

The lead dog shook it's head to clear it before turning to face his new adversaries. Wait, did that mean one of those cats created the stone wall?

That question was answered in an instant as the dog pack charged forward and three of the cats reared up in unison and came down hard on their front paws. A small earthquake was created. The dogs stopped their charge and instead focused on trying to stay on their feet. Using this moment of weakness to their advantage, the two other cats came forward and made their paws skid straight out in front if them. Blasts of fire came from their paws and were aimed at the dog pack.

The dogs yelped in pain and ran off with their tails between their legs.

"Guess those dogs will think twice before they decide to mess with a cat again!"

one of the cats said.

"Got that right, Zina!" another replied.

"How did you guys do that?" Katara asked as she and the others approached them, amazed.

"Are you benders?" Aang guessed.

"Yes," a cat who appeared to be the leader answered. "In fact, we call ourselves the bending cats."

"Are there more of you?" Toph asked curiously. "Cause, I mean, we're benders too. At least three of us are."

"Are you now?" the leader said thoughtfully. "And yes, there are more of us, but not much more of us, I'm afraid."

He looked off to the side sorrowfully before saying, "Forgive me, I often forget my manners. I'm Samurai, the unofficial leader of the bending cats. I'm an earthbender. These other cats behind me are Inochi and Mairu, who are also earthbenders, and Zina and Shyro, who are firebenders."

"I'm…uh," Katara started to say, then stopped, debating whether to use their real names or their clan names. Figuring it would be better if they were known by their clan names, she said, "I'm Seapaw, and these are my friends Nightpaw and Goldpaw and my brother, Bravepaw."

"Hey!" Zina said excitedly, "Are you guys some of those clan cats? That's amazing! I-I've heard about the clan cats but I never thought I'd actually meet some! Are…"

Shyro put his tail over her mouth. "Now, Zina, no need to get carried away."

Inochi had been looking over the four apprentices carefully. She must have noticed how their ribs had begun to show through their dull coats because she asked, "Samurai, could they come back to the barn? They look half starved."

Samurai looked at them quickly before saying, "Why yes, of course. How rude of me for not suggesting it before. You four look exhausted. Mairu," he commanded a brown tom, "take them back to the barn. Make sure they get plenty of food. Tell the other cats they will spend the night with us."

Mairu stepped forward and nodded. "What are you going to do?" he asked.

Samurai replied, "We will patrol the area to make sure the dogs are gone. Because if they're not…" A small crack split the ground. "They'll regret staying."

He smiled good naturedly. "Now take them to the barn, Mairu." With that, he and the others were off.

"Follow me," Mairu said quietly. The four friends padded behind him.

"So, what kind of benders are you?" Aang asked curiously.

"There are earthbenders, waterbenders, firebenders and even airbenders, one for each element. And in case you're wondering, there are over twenty of us, including Samurai. There used to be more, but…" he cut himself off.

"We're here," he said, changing the subject. Mairu then squeezed through the small opening Aang and his friends had tried to escape through before.

"This way," Mairu urged them in.

The four of them slipped through the hole. When they got inside, there was the sweet smell of hay. And prey. Aang's mouth watered and his stomach growled. He flattened his ears, embarrassed.

Mairu smiled sympathetically. "Feel free to hunt," he said. "There's plenty of mice here."

The four of them nodded and split up into different corners of the barn.

ooooooooooooooooo

Not long after, the young apprentices collapsed together on a hay bale after a successful hunt. Sokka and Toph were instantly asleep.

Katara snuggled closer to Aang and whispered softly, "Thanks for helping me back there. That was…really brave of you. Stupid, but brave."

"No problem," he murmured.

Katara licked him affectionately between the ears.

"Goodnight," she said softly.

"'Night," he whispered back.

Aang laid his head down on the straw, as did Katara, and closed his eyes. Warm and exhausted, he finally sank into the warm darkness of sleep. As he did though, he could have sworn he heard Katara purring.

**A/N: -sigh- So cute and fluffy. Anyways, just thought everyone would like to know that Zina is named after my friend ironhide11's ferret. I thought it was a cool name and couldn't resist using it!**


	14. Chapter 12

**A/N: Yes! I finally got a chance to type chapter 12! Enjoy!**

**star5855: I don't really know. My story just kind of, appeared on the site. My advice would be to type your story and just wait a few days. It'll come up eventually!**

**Avatarfanatic5: No offense taken. Glad you like the chapter!**

**ironhide11: Just noticed that I spelled your ferret's name wrong. Sorry!**

**RunningStorm: Yes! Someone appreciates my bending cats! And you're right, they do rock!**

**Meh, I can't think of anything clever to say…**

"Goldpaw, hey Goldpaw, you awake?" came Zina's excited voice the next morning.

"Shut up and let them sleep Zina," came another voice. "They had a hard night."

"Yes, Nisha."

Too late. Zina's voice had woken Aang, and he stared her, smiling fondly. "It's okay," he said, smiling good naturedly, "I'm awake."

"Finally!" Zina over exaggerated, as if she had been waiting for hours.

"Yeah," came Nisha's meow, "Because she looked like she was going to go into cardiac arrest if you hadn't gotten up."

Aang looked at the new cat for a minute, studying her. She was a grayish gold color, with amber eyes. Her beauty was hypnotizing, and Aang found himself staring at her…

"You okay?"

"S-sorry!" Her voice startled Aang out of his reverie. "I just haven't seen a lot of cats that look like you. You're Nisha, right?"

"Yeah," she answered, "I'm Samurai's second-in-command, and probably the closest thing to a deputy he has. I'm an airbender, by the way."

"Really? Me too!" Aang said excitedly.

"Come on Goldpaw," Zina meowed impatiently. "We're burning sunlight. I still want to show you the whole barn!" Aang stood up and answered her. "Alright, I'm coming. See you later, Nisha."

"Bye," the she cat called back.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Katara rolled over in her sleep. Amazingly, neither she nor the others had woken up during Aang and Nisha's conversation. Now, the first few rays of light peeking through the barn window grew stronger. When the light reached her eyes, Katara began to stir. Something didn't feel right. She opened her eyes and saw that, yes, Sokka and Toph were still there, beginning to awaken. Then she saw that Aang wasn't curled up next to her like he had been the previous night.

Katara began to panic. She looked over at Sokka and Toph.

"Do either of you know where Aang is?"

Toph shook her head. "Last I felt, he was sleeping next to you."

Sokka started to agree with her before he said disbelievingly, "Wait a minute, what!? What do you mean Aang slept next to my sister?"

Katara didn't hear the rest. She had begun to search the barn, not even knowing where she was going, for any sign of the missing airbender.

When she couldn't find him, Katara became even more worried. Then, from behind a hay bale, a young cat about her age came over to her.

"You okay?"

"I'm just looking for my friend," Katara replied.

The other cat nodded. "Maybe I can help you. I know this whole place like the back of my paws. I'm Lita by the way."

"Seapaw. Nice to meet you, Lita."

"Say," Lita said curiously, "You're one of those clan cats that came here last night. Are you one of the benders one of you mentioned last night?"

"Yeah," Katara answered, "I'm a waterbender."

"Me too!" Lita answered excitedly. "So are my twin brothers, Luta and Kya."

"Cool! Well, let's go. We can talk more while we look," Katara finally suggested. With that, the two of them started to search the barn.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"So, are you an apprentice?" Zina asked Aang a while later.

"Yeah. My friends and I, we all are," he answered. Zina was giving him the grand tour of the whole barn. The two of them had even stopped to hunt that morning. All the while, Zina had asked him a million questions; how long had he been in the clan, what was clan life like, was he a bender, were his friends benders, that kind of thing. But Aang was full of questions too.

As if she had read his mind, Zina said, "If you have any questions about this place, you'd have to ask Samurai. He knows all the in-depth stuff that goes on around here. He's right over there, if you want to talk to him." She motioned to the hay bale sitting directly in front of the loft window.

Aang nodded.

"Thanks, Zina," he said to the young firebender.

"You're welcome. And thanks for answering all my questions, Goldpaw." With that she bounded off.

Aang looked over to where Zina had pointed, and there was Samurai, sitting on the hay bale staring out the loft window. The young apprentice approached him cautiously.

"Hello, Goldpaw," Samurai greeted without even looking at him. Then, he turned his head to face the golden colored cat and said with a smile, "I take it you have questions. You're welcome to join me, because I have few questions for you."

Aang jumped up onto the hay bale to sit next to the bending cat leader.

"So…How'd you know we were in trouble last night?" he began.

"You'd have to be deaf not to hear the barks and growls those dogs make. They always scare all the prey off. What I'm wondering is why on earth you were out there in the first place. Don't you know the Twolegs always let their dogs out at night?"

"No, we didn't…" Aang started to say before he broke off. Wait a minute, hadn't Scarface asked him and his friends to go? He must have known the dogs would be out and sent them here on purpose! Did Scarface, and maybe Longpelt want to get rid of them?

"Goldpaw? Are you okay?" Samurai noticed he was staring. Aang shook his head to clear it. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Another question. Is clan life good? Is there always plenty of prey?"

"It's okay. There's usually a decent amount of prey. Right now we're a little short on prey, and all the clan cats can seem to do is blame each other. They're always fighting and our leader, Sunstar, is afraid the fighting is going to become serious."

Samurai nodded. "Do you know why the prey is disappearing?" he asked.

Aang shook his head. "No. None of the clans are stealing from each other. Something tells me it might have something to do with Whitefang's death; he was the Shadowclan deputy. Their leader, Jaggedstar, said that just found him dead on the border."

Samurai looked at him, thinking hard. "I want to show you something," he said. He hopped down from the hay bale and Aang followed him curiously.

The two of them walked out into the early afternoon sunshine. Aang followed Samurai to the back of the barn. The bending cat leader stopped, and Aang did the same. He followed Samurai's intense, and somewhat fearful gaze into the horizon. He was looking at what appeared to be a marsh. The place looked frightening, as if evil spirits lived there.

"Our clan never goes there," Samurai said in a low, foreboding voice. "Some say the place is haunted by spirits that never made it to the spirit world. All I know is, whenever a cat, or any other creature for that matter, goes there, they never come back."

Aang shivered from the horrible smell coming from the marsh. It was a mix of regular marsh smell, fear scent, and something else, something he couldn't quite identify. His chest contracted from fear of what might lay in that dark looking place.

"Why are you showing me this?" he asked.

"Cats say many mysterious things happen there. That place may hold the answer to why you're prey is disappearing and why you're cats are dying."

"But Whitefang was the only cat that died!" Aang protested.

_For now,_ a dark little voice whispered.

"Goldpaw!"

Aang turned his head in the direction of Katara's voice. She bounded around the corner of the barn, along with Lita, Sokka, and Toph, who had joined their search.

"I was so worried about you!" Katara said, almost in a scolding voice.

"Yeah!" Sokka added. "Do you have any idea how long we've been searching for you?"

"All morning," Toph finished.

Aang lowered his head with guilt. "Sorry. But I didn't want to wake you guys up to tell you where I was going."

There was a moment of silence before Samurai walked over to the group and said, "Well, it's probably about time you four started heading home. Lita, why don't you escort them to the edge of the forest."

Lita nodded. "Can do, Samurai." She started to head towards the forest with the others following her.

"Hope we'll see you again," Aang said to the bending cat leader as he started to follow the others. "And thank you." A chorus of thank you's came from his friends. Samurai nodded.

"Don't worry, Goldpaw," he assured the Thunderclan apprentice, "We'll meet again."

"C'mon guys! Let's go!" Lita called.

Aang cast one uneasy glance at the marsh before following his friends. Noticing his somewhat frightened look, Katara whispered to him, "You okay?" Aang nodded quickly. "Yeah. I'm fine."

Lita led them to the edge of the forest before they went their separate ways. The bending cat to the barn, the clan cats to the forest.


	15. Chapter 13

**A/N: Waaaaaaaaaahooooooooooooo! I finally got my English project done so now I can post as many chapters as I want and my mom won't care! **

**Nova Bucker: Thanks for reviewing. Don't worry, there will be more bending.**

**ironhide11: Yes! I swear, I'll get at least Leopardcloud in there ASAP!**

**Avatarfanatic5: Yeah, I have to admit, I kinda creeped myself out when I wrote the marsh part. Guess what? It's only going to get creepier…**

**Hazah! Here we go!**

_The marsh was dark and foggy and he found himself being engulfed by the sheer immensity of it. Fear coursed through him, and he was certain his fear scent would attract unwanted attention very soon._

_He wasn't disappointed._

_There were glowing yellow eyes and blood curdling growls that morphed into screeches. He saw a river of blood and smelled the nightmarish smells of the marsh. The blood river turned into a raging ocean, seeking to engulf him, and the screeches of the unknown enemy grew louder, and the glowing yellow eyes grew brighter until it all morphed together and pulled him under the ocean of blood._

oooooooooo

Aang's head shot up with a gasp, his heart pounding hard in his chest. This was the third time that night he'd had that nightmare. Still breathing hard, he looked wildly around, seeing that there was no ocean of blood, and no glowing yellow eyes.

Aang picked out the sleeping forms of his friends, and finally convinced himself that he was indeed in the safety of the apprentice's den.

And nowhere near that awful marsh.

It had been almost a week since he and the others returned to Thunderclan. Winterfrost and Autumnleaf had been relieved that they had come home safely. The rest of the reunion had been a blur.

He and the others didn't forget the shocked looks on Scarface and Longpelt's faces when they returned. It only confirmed Aang's suspicion that these two warriors wanted him and his friends gone. But why?

And ever since they had gotten back, he had been having awful nightmares of that mysterious marsh, one's that he couldn't explain. One of them had even mentioned Whitefang. He saw a vision of the Shadowclan deputy disappearing in a writhing mass of shadows with glowing yellow eyes, but he didn't know what it meant.

Deciding that this was no time to be deciphering his nightmares, Aang laid his head down on the soft bedding underneath him, hoping sleep would come soon, but fearing the nightmares would come as well.

_Please_, he pleaded as he closed his eyes,_ Just go away_.

oooooooooooooooooooo

"I think it's about time I taught you some new fighting techniques," Sunstar said to his apprentice the next afternoon. Aang's ears perked up in interest.

"Really?" he asked excitedly.

Sunstar nodded. Then, he stood a few feet in front of Aang and gave him a simple command.

"Attack me."

Aang rushed forward and leaped, aiming for Sunstar's shoulders, just as he had been taught before. But this time, Sunstar crouched as Aang ran for him. Then, as his apprentice was directly over him, he stood up abruptly. The move knocked all the air out of Aang's lungs and he fell in a heap to the ground.

"Good aim, Goldpaw," Sunstar praised the bewildered apprentice. "But you need to prepare yourself for an unexpected move like that. Try again."

Aang stood, shaking the dust out of his fur. This time, he sized up Sunstar before he ran forward again. When he leaped, he used a little bit of airbending to help himself leap higher. Sunstar stood up as he had before. When he didn't make contact with anything, he looked up a moment too late to see his apprentice come crashing down onto his shoulders.

Aang was able to leap right off of his astounded leader, ready to keep fighting if necessary.

"Well," Sunstar said as he stood up and shook himself off, "I certainly wasn't expecting that. Good job. Let's see if you can do it again."

With that, mentor and apprentice fit themselves into a fighting crouch.

oooooo

A while later, as the rest of the mentors came back with their apprentices from a hard day of training, a yowl of alarm was heard. It caught the attention of all of the clan cats.

Darkstorm came tearing through the gorse tunnel, bleeding heavily and torn up. Sunstar rushed toward him.

"What happened, Darkstorm?" he asked frantically.

Darkstorm paused before yowling in grief, "Sandclaw is dead!"

**A/N: Mwahaha! What will happen to the clans now with this mysterious new threat? I guess time will tell…**


	16. Chapter 14

**A/N: Christmas is in 6 days! I can't wait! Anyone else excited? Anyway, time for the review responses.**

**Avatarfanatic5: Just to let you know, I'm not much of a horror person, but I can write very creepy things when I want to. And your prayers have been answered! The next installment is here!**

**Swimstar: Glad you like it. Oh, and to answer your questions, of course Aang can bend all four elements! What kind of WarriorsXAvatar story would this be if he couldn't? And also, for the battle against Riverclan, they were fighting near Sunningrocks so Katara could use the water from the river to bend. Don't worry, there will be plenty more bending, so keep checking!**

**RunningStorm: I know, I'm the most evil person on the planet! Mwahahaha!**

**ironhide11: Guess what? Leopardcloud is going to be in this chapter! Yay!**

**Star Wars nut: Don't worry, the dogs were in the story just to introduce the bending cats. As for the missing prey, you're going to have to keep reading to see what that's all about. And I like the part where Firestar gets his nine lives too. It's awesome!**

**All right, I know what you're all saying. GET ON WITH IT!**

At that moment, Lillyfoot came through the gorse tunnel looking just as torn up as Darkstorm. She was carrying Sandclaw's limp body by the scruff of his neck before she dropped him in the center of the camp.

Murmurs of surprise were heard. Curious, Katara glanced over at Rainflower. The queen had her tail curled comfortingly around her three kits and was licking them, not only to calm them, but to calm herself.

_Poor thing_, Katara sympathized with her. After all, she knew Sandclaw had been her mate. She loved him and it would hard to let go.

Then, the Thunderclan cats walked over to Sandclaw's body and began licking him.

"What are they doing?" Katara asked Moonshadow, who was standing next to her.

"They are sharing tongues with him. It will be the last time they do." Moonshadow looked down at her apprentice, and it suddenly occurred to her that neither she nor her friends were acquainted with the clan cat's mourning ritual, so she explained it.

"This happens when any clan warrior finally joins Starclan. They share tongues with them one last time before they are buried."

Katara nodded in understanding.

"Should we share tongues with him too?" Toph asked, overhearing their conversation.

Moonshadow nodded. "It would be the proper thing to do."

With that, the she cat warrior made her way over to Sandclaw's body, followed by the four young apprentices.

Aang was sharing tongues with Sandclaw right beside her when Katara heard him gasp in shock.

"What's the matter?" she asked softly. Aang's eyes were still wide.

"Aang?" Katara asked again.

The young apprentice blinked and answered, "It's nothing. Nothing's wrong."

Katara didn't believe him, even as they left Sandclaw's body. There was another Gathering tonight and she knew Aang was the only one going out of the four of them. Also, she could tell just by looking at her friend's face that he was hoping things would be better at the Gathering.

They weren't.

ooooooooooooooo

Winterfrost was the first to notice Loneheart was missing. He looked all over the place for his Shadowclan friend while Aang helped him look. A sickening feeling settled in the pit of Aang's stomach as he remembered Sandclaw. Sunstar had asked Darkstorm and Lillyfoot what had happened, however they said their attackers stuck to the shadows and it was impossible for them to see them, much less fight back. Had Loneheart suffered the same fate?

His question was soon answered when a yowl sounded from the Great Rock indicating that the meeting had started. Aang was surprised to see Loneheart standing there, on the Great Rock.

"Where is Jaggedstar?" one cat from Windclan asked.

Loneheart meowed solemnly, "Jaggedstar is dead."

Mews of surprise rippled throughout the crowd.

"Does that mean you're the clan leader now?" an apprentice asked.

Loneheart nodded. "Yes. I am Lonestar now. I have already been to the Highstones to receive my nine lives. Also, Leopardcloud is the new deputy."

A clouded tom with darker spots on his coat nodded in recognition.

Lonestar jumped down from the Great Rock, indicating that he was finished.

Cats from other clans shared similar news. They were either dying from starvation or being murdered mysteriously.

_This can't be happening,_ Aang thought desperately, _This can't be happening…_

ooooooooooooooooo

The next morning, Aang made a decision that not only defied his own will, but more importantly, common sense. He got up very quietly, trying not wake his friends. However, he was unsuccessful. Noticing he was about to leave, Katara asked, "Where are you going? And at this time of morning?"

Indeed, it was still dark out, but that didn't stop Aang. Turning to face his friends, who were all by now awake, he said resolutely, "I'm going back to the marsh. It's time I figured out this mystery once and for all."


	17. Chapter 15

**A/N: Oh my god! It's a miracle! I'm not dead! Sorry, for lack of updates, holiday rush, after holiday rush, writer's block, that kind of stuff. So yeah, here it is!**

**Avatarfanatic5: Isn't the suspense just killing you? It's killing me, and I'm the one writing the story!**

**Swimstar: You, know, I never really thought of that. I'm going to say that Jaggedstar was killed like Tigerstar because he was a young leader. Good question and thanks for your review!**

**ironhide11: Yes, we all feel bad for Sandclaw. Well, here's the next chapter!**

**star5855: Thanks!**

**Little side note, I updated the Cast of Characters page, so now you can see what all of the characters look like. Check it out!**

"You're what!?" Sokka was the first one who found his voice after Aang's shocking statement.

"Aang, you can't be serious!" Katara exclaimed.

"I'm going and that's final," he said stubbornly. With that, he headed out the entrance and towards the gorse tunnel.

After a few steps, he found himself being blocked off by his friends. Toph said firmly, "Look, we're not going to let you just waltz into a dangerous, freaky haunted marsh…at least, not without us."

"Yeah," Katara added, "We'll come with you."

Sokka just stared at them stupidly. "Okay, am I the only one left with some common sense? I thought we were trying to stop him from going!"

Katara regarded him coolly before asking, "Well, would you rather stay here and explain to Longpelt or Scarface why we're missing? Because I'll know they'll ask you."

"Please, Sokka, this important," Aang pleaded. "Remember when we were sharing tongues with Sandclaw when he died? I smelled something strange on him. It smelled like the marsh. We have to look!"

Sokka looked at one face from the other before all of his resoluteness died away. "Fine. But I still think you're all crazy!" Without another word, the four of them bounded through the gorse tunnel and into the unknown.

ooooooooooo

It didn't take them long to reach the farm. It was around dusk, so they knew the Twolegs hadn't let their dogs out. Katara shivered at the mere thought of encountering those rabid beasts a second time.

None the less, Aang, who was leading, stopped at the edge of the forest and sniffed the air cautiously, figuring they couldn't be too careful. The air seemed clean of all scents except the scent of the long grass blowing lazily in the warm breeze. When he was sure the coast was clear, Aang motioned with a flick of his tail for his friends to follow.

Navigating through the long grass wasn't terribly difficult, except they now had to rely primarily on scent rather than sight, since the grass was too long to see anything properly.

Which was probably why they didn't see the black shadowy shape moving through the grass until it was too late.

One moment, everything was quiet, and the next, there was a rustling in the grass. The four of them froze, bracing themselves. Then, a black, furry shape hurled itself out of the grass and crashed right Aang. The two of them wrestled free of the grass until they were close to the edge of the barn. Aang's friends could only watch helplessly.

When they were out of the grass, Aang was finally able to get a good look at his attacker. It was another cat, small and black. She looked awfully familiar...then it hit him.

"Zina!"

The black she cat jumped off of her opponent and looked at him hard before she exclaimed in recognition, "Goldpaw!"

"Aang!" It was Sokka's voice as the three of them worked their way free of the grass and stepped out into the open.

Katara recognized her first. "Zina!"

"Seapaw! Bravepaw! Nightpaw!"

Zina ran over to them to greet them, Aang not far behind her. Then, a second voice was heard.

"Zina! What's going on here?"

A light grey she cat ran appeared from the corner of the barn. She stopped in front of the four newcomers before asking Zina suspiciously, "Who are they?"

"It's okay, Tala, I know these cats. They're the forest cats that came here a few moons ago," the young firebender answered cheerfully.

Tala looked at the four cats, thinking hard before she remembered. "Oh, I remember you now. Mairu told us that you guys were in the barn, but I never saw you. By the way, I'm Tala, an airbender."

The four apprentices nodded curtly.

"So," Zina began, breaking the silence, "What are you guys doing out here?"

There was a pause before Aang stated, "We're going to the marsh."

Zina and Tala stared at him stupidly before Zina exclaimed, "Goldpaw, you and your friends are either the bravest cats in the whole forest, or raving mad! Samurai told you what happens to cats who go there. They never come back! What if _you_ never come back?"

"We're going and that's it," Aang stated plainly.

Tala shook her head disbelievingly before she said, "You're all crazy."

"Exactly! That's what I've been trying to tell them!" Sokka added.

"Well, if we're going, we should get moving. We've lost too much time as it is," Toph said unexpectedly before taking the lead.

"Who died and made you leader?" Sokka retorted as he caught up to her.

"Oh, I see, it's okay if Aang leads us but not me?" Toph said sharply. Sokka couldn't come up with a retort, so he kept his mouth shut.

Zina gazed at Aang and Katara sadly before saying, "Well, I guess I'm not going to be able to talk you guys out of it. All I can say is, good luck."

"And don't get killed," Tala added.

"Alright, thanks," Katara said to them before they headed off once more.

oooooooooooooo

It took a lot of courage for them not to turn back when they finally reached the outskirts of the marsh. It was foggy and the smell coming from inside was revolting.

"Well, here goes nothing," Aang said, trying to put on a brave face for the sake of his friends. The walked forward.

The overall atmosphere was terrifying. The marsh was so foggy that the four of them could barely see their paws in front of them, much less any possible threats lurking in the shadows.

So far, so good. They had almost reached the heart of the marsh without any trouble, since it wasn't that large and were now walking through a dense forest of reeds. They just had to keep moving…

All of a sudden, they broke out of the reeds and into a clearing. What they saw was horrifying.

There many piles of bones all along the edges of the walls of reeds. There were bones of prey of all sorts; rabbits, mice, birds…and cat bones.

Aang felt sick. Not only from the revolting stench of the marsh anymore, either. The sight of bones, _cat bones_; it was…awful. The smell of death and fear was everywhere.

The four of them looked at each other as realization dawned. Now they knew where all of their missing prey and cats had gone. But who had eaten all of it?

Just then, the reeds rustled, indicating the presence of something. The four apprentices froze, their hearts in their throats. The reeds continued to rustle until the suspense was killing them. Then, a shadow appeared.

It was a cat. Actually, it looked too big to be a cat, but it was a cat. Maybe it was more of a bearcat, although no one could be sure. Either way, it was the most terrifying creature the four young apprentices had ever laid eyes on. It's muscles rippled powerfully under it's dull, brown coat as it moved toward them, it's long fangs glinting menacingly. And, Aang noticed with horror, this awful creature had glowing yellow eyes. No irises, no pupils, just a terrifying expanse of yellow.

Now Aang understood. Starclan had been trying to warn him about this threat through his nightmares. Everything made sense. This creature had been stealing the prey and killing their cats. But why?

There was no time to ponder this, because, to their horror, thousands more of these marsh cats came pouring out of the reed walls, circling them. Without thinking twice and desperate to escape this horrible place, the four apprentices turned tail and ran. But they didn't get far. They crashed into something, but it wasn't a marsh cat. As the young cats looked up, they saw two familiar shapes, and heard a familiar voice that said, "Going somewhere, you nosy apprentices?"

Longpelt and Scarface?


	18. Chapter 16

**A/N: Okay! Well, sorry I haven't updated in a while. But guess what? I got Starlight, Twilight, and Sunset in the mail! I already finished Starlight and I'm almost done with Twilight. Now my friends (ironhide11 and goldenwing57) are going to be screaming bloody murder at me because they're big fans of the series too. **

**Swimstar: I know! I'm so evil!**

**goldenwing57: No, Longpelt and Scarface aren't even related to Tigerstar because this story takes place in the Avatar universe, so it's in ancient times. And with anyone else who has a similar question, there's your answer!**

**Avatarfanatic5: It's not just you, I like to torture everyone! I noticed the problem with to, and it's driving me crazy! I hope they fix it soon.**

**star5855: Trust me, there's plenty more where this came from!**

Aang and his friends jumped backwards in surprise, a shriek of pure terror escaping them. Blinded with fear, they turned the other way and ran. Their path was blocked off by the thousands of marsh cats, however, and at that moment they realized they were surrounded. There was no hope of escaping.

Seeing this, the four apprentices huddled together in the center of the marsh, bracing for death. Then, a low, husky voice rang out.

"Wait!"

Everyone looked up, including the four terrified Thunderclan cats. The wave of marsh cats parted and another marsh cat stepped forward. He was a bit larger than the others and a scar ran across his left eye. He regarded the young cats with an air of power and a blood thirsty eye.

"Let us hear them out, before we kill them," the marsh cat said. "Perhaps they could be useful to us. Maybe even act as servants."

"We're nobody's slaves!" Katara spoke defiantly.

"Yeah!" Toph added, "So you can just take your offer and blow it out your…"

"Obviously Slash," Scarface said to the lead marsh cat, interrupting Toph's threat, "These apprentices are no use to us. Why not just kill them now? They are nothing but a nuisance."

Longpelt added, "They are a threat to you as well. Don't you think they'll report all this to Thunderclan if we let them escape?"

Blood curdling yowls of agreement rose from the marsh cats. Slash merely said, "Very well. We will kill them. But let us make this a little more fun. Why don't we tell them what they could have prevented if they had just stayed away like good little apprentices? Actually, you wouldn't have been able to prevent this at all. It is inevitable."

The Thunderclan cats glanced at each other briefly. The looks they gave each other all said the same thing; that they weren't going to give up that easily. This could be the only chance they had to discover what had been really going on in the forest.

The lead marsh cat started proudly, "We were hoping you clan cats had enough brains to realize when you were not wanted. That is why we killed your so called 'clan mates' and stole all of your prey. The forest is ours now! The whole territory is ours! And your friends here," he motioned to Longpelt and Scarface, "know all of your weaknesses. They will earn a high rank in my clan for this."

The two cats fluffed out their fur with pride. Aang's eyes widened as everything fell into place. But one thing didn't make sense: what did this have to do with them? Why did those…those…traitors want them gone? Had they known they would be coming here somehow?

"Now," Slash's voice broke Aang out of his thoughts, "Prove your loyalty to me once and for all." He looked at Scarface and Longpelt. "Kill these four Thundeclan cats."

The two cats bunched their muscles under them, with a gleam in their eyes that thought Slash would have never asked, and pounced.

Aang and his friends scattered, dodging the two large tabbies, and regrouped near the reed walls.

"Let's get out of here!" Aang called to his friends, and they made a mad dash through the reeds.

Hissing in rage, Slash spat at his Thunderclan recruits, "Well don't just stand there like a couple of moonstruck rabbits! After them!"

Scarface bolted forward, Longpelt right behind him.

Meanwhile, the four young apprentices were running so fast that their paws hardly touched the ground. Desperately afraid, they almost blundered right into a bog, stopping at the edge just in time. However, Toph was not so lucky and fell in, head first. The black cat disappeared under the peat that rested on top of the murky water.

"Toph!" Sokka called desperately. He made a move to jump in after her, before Katara grabbed the scruff of his neck and pulled him back.

"Mousebrain!" she spat. "There's no use in you jumping in and getting drowned yourself!"

A moment passed and Toph reappeared on the surface, flailing her legs in an attempt to swim.

"Help!" she shouted.

Aang was about to grab her scruff when he heard the pounding of paws on the ground. They had been followed, and Aang could guess who was behind them.

"Hurry! Get her out!" he ordered. In no time, the three remaining apprentices on shore had helped the terrified she cat out of the bog.

There was no time to rest, though, and soon Toph was hauled to her paws by her friends and they continued their run to safety.

The end of the marsh was in sight, but suddenly, Longpelt and Scarface appeared behind them, snapping at their tails.

Aang sent a silent prayer to the spirits and to Starclan that the two _former_ Thunderclan cats wouldn't follow them out of the marsh. His prayers were answered, and when they broke out into the open prairie that stood in back of the barn, Longpelt and Scarface stopped. The two cats hissed and spat insults as the four apprentices bounded away.

**A/N: Yeah, I know it's short, but I've been experiencing a very bad case of writer's block. And just so you all know, I have the Avatarian's warrior names in mind. I've had their names in mind since before I even started writing this story actually. So, there you have it. Review please! **


	19. Chapter 17

**A/N: Here I am! Yeah, sorry about how short the last chapter was, but it helped me set up the last couple of chapters for my grand finale! **

**Avatarfanatic5: Well, you're just going to have to keep reading to find out now aren't you? **

**Star Wars nut: Thanks for the review. Sorry, but neither Zuko nor Azula are appearing this story. Thanks for the suggestion though! However, I may put them in another story if I decide to do a sequel. Depends on how many people want a sequel!**

**Swimstar: I finished Sunset in two days! You're right, it was awesome! Die Hawkfrost! He's one warrior that's not going to Starclan anytime soon!**

**ironhide11: Yes! Damn Hawkfrost! Good news, though. I kinda pulled out my writer's block. There will be at least two more chapters after this one!**

The four apprentices didn't stop running until they were outside the gorse tunnel that led into the Thunderclan camp. They paused to rest for a minute, before they began conversing amongst themselves, since no guard was present at the head of the tunnel to overhear their conversation.

"We have to Sunstar about this," Sokka whispered loudly.

The others nodded their approval.

"But what if he doesn't believe us?" Aang asked uncertainly. It was a rather childish question, but he couldn't help but think that the clan leader wouldn't take such serious accusations from four apprentices.

"We have to try," Katara said quietly. With that, they entered the camp.

The first few grey beams of the early dawn light were just beginning to wash over the camp. Cats were beginning to stir. At one end of the camp, Lightningbolt was assigning patrols and other cats were sharing tongues, getting ready for the day.

Wasting no time, Aang and his friends headed over to Sunstar's den, where they were sure the clan leader was still inside of. They slipped over there quietly, trying not to attract any attention, and were relieved when they didn't. This conversation was for Sunstar alone to hear.

"Sunstar!" Aang called inside the den, his voice echoing off the stone walls.

"Come in, Goldpaw," came Sunstar's reply.

The young apprentices walked inside, and it suddenly occurred to them that they had never been in Sunstar's den before. It was like a cave, with a bed of moss at the far end. That is where Sunstar himself lay, his front paws curled under him and his amber eyes gleaming in the weak light filtering inside.

The sun colored tom sat up, giving his chest fur a couple of licks before gazing at the young cats who had entered his den. Their faces were contorted with worry, as if they had important news to tell him.

"Now, what brings you to my den?" the Thunderclan leader asked in a deep voice.

"We have some news," Aang began lamely.

"Important news," Sokka added to emphasize the point.

"And what is this important news?" Sunstar asked.

There was a pause, before Katara continued in a soft voice, "Thunderclan is in great danger, Sunstar."

"Yeah," Toph added. "And not just Thunderclan. All of the clans are in danger."

Sunstar perked his ears in interest. "Go on," he said.

"We left for the farm last night," Aang began with a guilty wince. He was sure Sunstar would be angry with him for suggesting they sneak out the night before. However, the Thunderclan leader's eyes only gleamed with interest, his ears perked. So, Aang continued.

"We wanted to find out what was steeling the prey and killing the clan cats, like Sandclaw and Whitefang."

"And we found a marsh behind the farm," Katara added.

Sunstar nodded.

"Then we went inside," Sokka added, "And there were these cats, marsh cats, I think. There were thousands of them!"

"We went inside of their camp," Toph continued, "And we found prey bones and cat bones. And something else."

"What was it?" Sunstar asked unsurely.

"Longpelt and Scarface were there," Aang said solemnly, "They were ordered to kill us by the marsh cat leader. Slash, I think his name was. They went after us willingly."

Katara concluded, "I think they're working alongside the marsh cats now, because Slash said he would give them a high ranking position in his clan for telling him all of our weaknesses. I think they're planning to drive us all out so they can claim the territory for themselves. They even threatened to use us as servants while were there."

Sunstar was quiet, his eyes wide in silent horror, not only because of the huge threat these "marsh cats" presented to his clan, but because two of his warriors had betrayed him. He sunk heavily to the ground, not sure whether to believe these apprentices or not. Then again, he hadn't seen Longpelt or Scarface in days. This could answer the question why he hadn't seen them. All of this, it was the only explanation to all of their and the other clan's problems…

"What should we do?" Aang asked uncertainly.

Sunstar was quiet for a few moments more before he said in a voice as cold as ice, "We fight."

The four apprentices exchanged surprised looks with one another, before Katara asked bravely, "What did you say, Sunstar?"

The Thunderclan leader sat up to face them once more, with a determined smile on his face, and said resolutely, "We fight. We're not going to let this threat take over Thundercan, nor any other clan."

The apprentices smiled at each other. Then, Katara's smile faded.

"What is it Seapaw?" Sunstar asked.

"I'm just a bit worried," the blue grey she cat replied. "There weren't just a few marsh cats, Sunstar. There were _thousands_ of them. Even with all the clans combined, I don't think we would be able to defeat them."

There was a pause as everyone contemplated this problem. Then, Aang's voice broke the quiet.

"The bending cats! They could help us!"

"Who are these 'bending cats'?" Sunstar asked.

Sokka answered him. "The bending cats are a group of benders, like these three over here." He pointed to Aang, Katara and Toph with his tail. "They live in the barn. They have a leader too. We're good friends with him though."

"I'm not sure if they'd be willing to fight," Toph spoke up. "It's not their battle."

There was another brief pause, before Aang said optimistically, "It still couldn't hurt to ask. I'm sure Samurai would be willing to help us."

They all nodded in agreement.

"Then it's settled," Sunstar said. "We just need to convince the other clans to fight. And you can go convince the leader of the bending cats. Samurai, was it?"

The four apprentices nodded, smiling happily.

"Then we shall alert the clan that battle is underway," Sunstar said triumphantly.

ooooooooooooo

Thunderclan was shocked to hear the news at first, but soon Sunstar convinced them to fight. Aang knew he would never forget the look in Rainflower's eyes when they mentioned getting back at these marsh cats. She would be able to avenge her mate. Her kits had squealed in delight, but were told they were not able to participate in the battle. They were still much too young.

Now, Sunstar had split the four apprentices up to go to the different clans to seek help. Sokka had gone off with Winterfrost to Shadowclan to talk to Lonestar, Katara had gone with Moonshadow to Windclan to talk to Wolfstar, Toph had gone to Riverclan with Autmnleaf to talk to Reedstar, and Aang had gone to the barn with Sunstar himself.

"You've been to the farm, right?" Aang asked his leader.

Sunstar nodded. "A few times, when I was an apprentice."

Aang found it hard to imagine the magnificent, sun colored tom cat a gangly apprentice. But then again, all of the warriors in the clan were once an apprentice.

They made their way through the tall grass easily and headed inside the barn. At first, it appeared deserted, and Aang couldn't help but wonder if they were too late. Had the marsh cats already gotten them all?

Then, a rustling in the straw indicated otherwise. Many cats appeared from behind hay bales. One in particular strode over to the two newcomers. It was Mairu.

"Well hello there, Goldpaw," the brown tabby meowed in welcome. He looked behind the golden colored apprentice.

"Who's this?" Mairu wondered.

Sunstar stepped forward. "I'm Sunstar, leader of Thunderclan. Goldpaw has told me much about all of you."

Mairu was humbled. He had only heard tales of the magnificent clan leaders who possessed nine lives and led many warriors. The tabby bowed his head.

"It is an honor to meet Thunderclan's leader." Then, he looked up. "What brings you here?"

"We'll tell that to Samurai," Sunstar meowed, not unkindly.

Mairu nodded. "Follow me," he said.

He turned around and began to head up into the hay loft, the two cats following closely behind him. It wasn't long before they reached the top.

"Samurai," Mairu called, "You have visitors."

A few moments later, Samurai appeared. The muddy colored tabby stopped in front of the newcomers before he bowed his head. Sunstar did the same.

"It is an honor to meet you," Samurai began.

"Yes," Sunstar replied, "I have been told much about you from my apprentice here."

He looked down at Aang, who descended his gaze to the floor, embarrassed.

"It's nice to see you again, Goldpaw," the bending cat leader addressed the young apprentice. Aang nodded.

"We must speak with you," Sunstar said seriously, "It's very important."

Samurai nodded and dismissed Mairu with a flick of his tail. The earthbender left obediently.

"Why don't we make ourselves comfortable?" Samurai suggested.

He led the two Thunderclan cats over to a thick pile of straw and they all laid down, curling their paws underneath them.

Aang was amazed at the respect the two leaders shared for each other. Then again, he himself was given that kind of respect when people saw him as the Avatar.

"Now," Samurai finally asked, "What is it that you need to tell me?"

Aang waited for Sunstar to speak, but instead the sun colored tom looked down at his apprentice and said, "Why don't you tell him, Goldpaw? After all, you were the one who saw everything."

With slight hesitation, Aang told Samurai everything, from how their cats were dying, to Sunstar's plan of attacking the marsh cats.

"What we came to ask, though," Aang said unsurely, "Is if you wanted to fight with us. Even all four clans together wouldn't be able to drive them off. We know this isn't your battle, and we'd understand if you didn't want to…"-

"We'll do it," Samurai cut him off.

Aang shook his head in surprise, "What?"

"We'll fight. It's about time we got back at those mangy, horrible, mousebrained excuses for cats."

"Get back at?" Sunstar questioned.

"Yes," Samurai said with determination. He looked down at Aang and said, "I told you there used to more of us. Where do you think the rest of us went? Those terrible creatures wiped out over half of us. It's time for some sweet revenge."

Sunstar asked, "Then you will fight?"

Samurai nodded seriously, then asked, "When and where should we meet you?"

Sunstar answered, "Right outside the barn, two days from now, at dusk."

Samurai nodded again.

Sunstar decided it was time for him and his apprentice leave, and headed out with an escort to the forest. The escort's name was Nyu, a waterbender. As Sunstar and Aang dashed off to the Thunderclan camp, they heard Nyu call, "Journey safely!"

It wasn't long before they reached the camp. Aand was surprised to see his friends already back.

"How did it go?" Sunstar asked. "We got the bending cats to help us."

"It was easy convincing Lonestar to help," Sokka said proudly.

"Wolfstar, too," Katara added.

"Well," Toph spoke, "We _finally_ got Reedstar on our side, but he and his warriors nearly ripped our fur off. It wasn't until Autmnleaf's friends, Riverjewel and Amberpelt and Reedstar's deputy, Runningbrook, convinced him it would be a mousebrained idea to just sit back and watch the clans be destroyed that he finally agreed with us."

Sunstar nodded his approval.

"We will start getting ready tomorrow," he said. "We'll make those marsh cats wish they had never even heard of the clan cats."


	20. Chapter 18

**A/N: Here it is! The final battle! And there will be one more chapter after this, just to let you all know.**

**RunningStorm: Thanks!**

**Swimstar: Yeah, I read the preview for Sight. It sounds awesome! And no, I didn't know that, but I guess it makes sense.**

**Strix Moonwing: I like Sokka too. I mean, what would Avatar be without him? Very dull and boring, that's what. And if you like his apprentice name, then you're going to love his warrior name in the next chapter!**

**StarDragon411: Keep reading to find out!**

**Avatarfanatic5: Well, I hope you like it. I thought long and hard about it!**

**ironhide11: I won't, don't worry!**

**star5855: Thanks!**

**And now, the moment you have all been waiting for. THE FINAL BATTLE!!!! WOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!**

The end of the second day had finally arrived. The daylight hours had been filled with apprehension and nervousness. Now, everyone was eating, and some of the cats couldn't help but wonder if it would be their last meal.

Aang had barely touched the fat mouse at his paws, even though the smell coming from it would have made any other hungry cat dive right into it's sweet flesh. He sighed looked absently at the ground.

Katara looked up from her thrush and saw the young airbender, huddled alone at the edge of the clearing where they were eating. He looked lost and frightened.

"I'll be right back," she told Sokka and Toph, who were eating beside her. They nodded before biting off another piece of their prey.

Katara padded quietly over to her friend. When she was directly over him, he looked up, his grey eyes wide.

"Are you okay?" she asked, concern in her voice.

Aang knew he would never be able to lie to her, and if he did she would catch him. So he bowed his head and answered truthfully.

"No."

Katara blinked at him sympathetically. "You're nervous, aren't you?"

Aang met her gaze and said quietly, "Yeah, a little. And I can't help wondering if we made the right choice by telling the clans about this. What if we've sent them to their deaths?"

Katara looked at him sternly before answering, "We would have sent the clans to their deaths if we _hadn't_ told them about the marsh cats. At least now they have a fighting chance."

Aang blinked gratefully up at her before bending down to eat his mouse, feeling much better about the situation.

The young apprentice smiled at her friend before going over to Sokka and Toph to finish her thrush. Before she could though, she heard Aang call her name softly. She responded by walking back over to him.

"Katara," he began, "Just in case we don't come out of this alive, I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" she asked, a mixture of curiosity and delight running through her.

Aang looked at Sokka and Toph, and said, "Could we talk about this someplace else?"

Katara nodded and they headed to a more secure section of the clearing they were in, where no one could see them. After a moment if silence, Aang began to speak softly.

"I like you Katara, I always have. But now I think that feeling's grown into something more, something so big it feels like it's going to explode out of me if I don't tell you. I'd understand if you didn't feel the same way…"-

He was cut off when Katara pressed the side of her face against his, purring loudly. She rubbed her body along the length of Aang's, and that moment, he understood. There was nothing more that needed to be said. In response, he twined his tail with hers and began to purr just as loudly.

"I love you too," Katara murmured. "And I promise, we'll get through this."

Aang nodded, love-struck, a purr still consuming his entire body. After a moment more, the two of them headed back over to the clearing to finish their meals. They did not do this without getting a suspicious look from Sokka, though.

Not long after, Darkstorm approached the four apprentices and meowed solemnly, "It's time."

ooooooo

This was it. The final battle, the fight for freedom. Everything was quiet and still as Thunderclan headed to the barn, as if the forest was holding it's breath.

They reached the barn in no time, meeting up with the bending cats outside. The setting sun of dusk seemed to bathe everything in blood, and it sent a shiver through Aang's fur.

"Greetings, Samurai," Sunstar greeted the bending cat leader as they approached him. "Ready for battle?"

Samurai flexed his claws and said, looking at his warriors then meeting Sunstar's gaze, "As ready as we'll ever be, Sunstar."

The two leaders gazed at each other, and some unknown connection seemed to pass between them.

Just then, Toph spoke up.

"I can feel other cats coming. They smell like Windclan."

Sure enough, Wolfstar and his warriors appeared. All of them looked tense, their fur ruffled with nervousness as they stared in the direction of the marsh. Moonflower walked over to join Katara.

"Hey, Seapaw," the she cat greeted, "Ready to kick some marsh cat tails?"

"You bet," Katara answered her friend, trying to sound brave.

Toph raised her head, scenting the wind. "Riverclan and Shadowclan are coming," she said loud enough for everyone to hear.

Reedstar and Lonestar appeared with their warriors soon enough All of the medicine cats were there too, ready to tend to any casualty the battle might bring. The leaders greeted each other before Reedstar muttered, "Let's go. The sooner this battle is over the better."

The other leaders nodded in response.

Aang and his friends expected the leaders to lead off. That is why they were so surprised when Sunstar said to them, "Goldpaw, Seapaw, Bravepaw, and Nightpaw, you lead us. If it weren't for you we wouldn't have known about this threat until it was too late."

Humbled by their leader's praise, the four apprentices stepped up to the front of the huge mass of cats and walked forward.

oooooooo

If Aang had been nervous about going inside the marsh the first time, then he was deathly afraid now. The four clans of cats, he and his friends leading them, walked silently through the marsh. They were heading towards the marsh cat camp, hoping to find Slash there. They knew the only true way to win this battle was if the marsh cat leader was killed.

Everything was so quiet and still. It seemed unusual. Things got even more surprising when the army of forest cats arrived in the camp.

There was no one there. Not even a mouse stirred.

Everyone stared at the camp in confusion. Were they too late, and the marsh cats had already gone into the forest?

Suddenly, a blood curdling screech was heard and Toph shouted, "Watch out!"

The cats leaped backward in shock. In their place stood Slash, his claws unsheathed. He moved toward them. But he wasn't alone.

Thousands of his warriors spilled out from behind him, looking just as bloodthirsty as their leader. Longpelt and Scarface were there as well, right in the front.

"So," Slash spoke in a menacing voice, "You thought you could just come into our camp and stop us? Well, it's not quite as simple as that." He caught a glance of the four apprentices who had come there before.

"And some nosey cats just need to be taught their lesson," he threatened. With that, his fur bristled and he commanded to his cats, "Attack!"

Fury filling him, Aang yowled, "Attack!"

Without hesitation, the forest cats surged forward until they made contact with the marsh cats.

A fierce battle scared cat leapt in front of Aang, bearing it's fangs. It raised it's paw, preparing to swat the golden colored apprentice out of the way. However, Aang was quicker. Dodging to the side with the speed of a snake, he landed a few feet away and sized up his opponent quickly. The marsh cat ran forward. Thinking quickly, Aang reared up on his hind paws and came down hard. The ground shook underneath him for a minute before a rock jutted up underneath the marsh cat, sending it flying into the air and yowling out of the clearing. Aang grinned in triumph.

Sokka was fighting with his sister against a pair of marsh cats. One swiped at him, but Sokka leaped and landed squarely one of the marsh cat's backs, fastening his teeth into it's shoulder blade. The other marsh cat, seeing his friend in trouble, grabbed for Sokka with his teeth. Katara saw blood coming out of Sokka's shoulder as the marsh cat's jaws made contact with it. Furious, Katara saw a rather large puddle near her and summoned the water from it. She swung around abruptly, sending the water at the cat that had her brother. The water froze the two cats in place. Sokka leaped off of the one cat's shoulder and flashed his sister a grateful look.

"Go see Pandafur and get that taken care of," Katara shouted over the turmoil of the battle.

Sokka looked at his bleeding shoulder and said confidently, "I'll be fine. Come on, let's go!"

Toph was facing off against a vicious looking she cat. The cat had her pinned against a bog that Toph didn't know was there until one of her back paws was forced into it.

"Nightpaw, look out!" Toph heard one cat say, and she felt the earth tremble. A second later, a rock rushed past her and she heard a pained screech as the marsh cat was knocked aside. The bender in question had been Inbi a young earthbending cat. Toph felt her approaching and said gratefully, "Thanks. And nice bending."

Inbi's eyes shone with the unexpected praise.

Suddenly, Toph shouted, "Duck!"

Inbi did so without hesitation. Toph pounded her paws into the ground forcefully, sending a boulder into the air. Then, she kicked it forward with her forepaws, sending it crashing into a marsh cat that had come up behind them.

Inbi looked behind herself and said to her new friend, "Wow. Never thought you'd pay back so soon."

Aang raced through the turmoil of the battle, trying desperately to find Slash. The sooner the battle had ended the better. On his way, he caught a glimpse of a lithe reddish shape. It was Rainflower, battling a marsh cat tom. With a furious screech, she launched herself on top of the massive creature so that she was directly over the top of it's neck.

"This is for you Sandclaw!" she yowled to the night sky, hoping her mate's spirit would hear her. Then, she bent down and savagely bit the back of the tom's neck. A sickening crack was heard as blood oozed from the wound. Rainflower jumped off the weakening marsh cat, preparing to deal the death blow. There was no need, however. The tom collapsed, his body going into series of spasms before he lay stil. Rainflower let out a cry of triumph.

Aang smiled, happy for the Thunderclan queen that she was having her revenge.

Nearby, Lonestar was experiencing similar revenge, fighting with Winterfrost and Sokka. The three of them took out marsh cats left and right, fighting for the death of the valiant Shadowclan leader, Jaggedstar.

Suddenly, Aang felt something crash into him, bowling him over. A long haired tom stood over him.

"Longpelt!" Aang cried out.

"It's time for you to die," the former Thunderclan cat said darkly.

Aang clawed furiously at Longpelt's belly with his hind paws, but nothing could dislodge the larger cat. He prepared to sink his teeth into Aang's throat, and Aang waited for death, hoping it would over quickly.

Just then, he felt the tom's weight being pulled off of him and heard a furious screech from Winterfrost.

"Traitor!" the white warrior hissed.

Longpelt was pinned underneath him and his back paws scrabbled at Winterfrost's belly, trying to dislodge him. But Winterfrost was quick, and leaned down, his jaws making contact with Longpelt's throat. The older warrior writhed underneath him, trying to screech in defiance, but only a bubbling sound came out as blood gushed from his torn throat. He jerked convulsively for moment before his body went limp.

Winterfrost looked down at his old clanmate with hatred before getting off of him.

Aang blinked in thanks.

Then, Winterfrost glanced over, Aang's shoulder, his eyes wide with horror. Aang looked behind himself and saw a massive marsh cat looming over a muddy brown tabby, his fangs dripping with the tabby's blood. Aang recognized the cat instantly.

"Samurai, no!"

Furious, Aang lunged at the marsh cat with Winterfrost in hot pursuit. He clawed at the vile creature's face. Winterfrost soon took over, leaving Aang to tend to the bending cat leader.

"Goldpaw," Samurai murmured in recognition.

"Stay here, I'll go get Pandafur," Aang said, desperate to save his friend.

"Too late," Samurai stopped him. Then he asked, "Do you think Starclan will accept me, Goldpaw?"

His throat tightening, Aang answered, "Of course they will."

Taking in another breath, Samurai whispered, "I'm making you leader of the bending cats, now."

Aang's eyes widened.

"I can't," he said in disbelief.

"I trust you with them," Samurai encouraged, "Trust in your heart, Goldpaw. Do what you think is right, and take care of them."

With a long sigh, Samurai went limp.

Grief welled up in Aang's chest and he buried his face into the blood soaked tabby fur.

"Samurai…" he murmured in sadness.

Then, Aang looked up resolutely. He had to find Slash and end this battle.

_I'll do it for Samurai_, he thought. With that he launched himself into the battle once more.

ooooooooo

Aamg finally found the marsh cat leader battling with a rapidly weakening Firestorm. The red tabby had several wounds, many of them bleeding heavily.

Rage building up inside of him, Aang leaped forward at the marsh cat leader with his claws outstretched. He landed on the tom's head. Yowling with fury, Slash forgot about Firestorm and concentrated on his new opponent. The Thunderclan warrior crawled away, torn and bleeding.

Finally Slash threw Aang off, and Aang landed lightly on his paws on the other side of the clearing they were battling in.

The two cats circled each other, trying to look for the best places to strike. Slash leapt forward and Aang dodged once more. Then, it was Aang's turn to attack. He launched himself forward, but Slash was too fast. He dodged to the side and batted Aang with one of his massive paws, causing the young apprentice to crash into the side of the clearing. Aang sat up quickly, shaking his head to clear it. He looked up just in time to see Slash towering over him, paw raised to deal the death blow. Aang gasped and jumped away quickly, narrowly dodging the attack. Then, he swung away to face his adversary once more.

The look of desperate determination on Aang's face met with the look of malice and evil on Slash's. In the background, the sound of pained screeches and triumphant yowls was clear.

_I have to finish this_, Aang thought quickly. Slash needed to be defeated now, before any other cat died…

Just then, an all too familiar pained cry caught Aang's attention. He swung his head around, momentarily distracted. Slash charged forward, but Aang leaped into the air and landed on the upper wall of the clearing. He quickly found the source of the cry, a motionless heap of blue grey fur with marsh cat standing over it, his vicious fangs glinting in the moonlight. Blood oozed from a wound on the smaller cat; there was so much blood that Aang didn't almost recognize it at first, but then…

"Katara!" he cried out in horror.

Desperately afraid, he charged forward and barreled into the side of the marsh cat that stood over his friend. In his fury, Aang managed to lock his teeth into the side of the other cat's shoulder, and the taste of warm blood only heightened his anger. Aang furiously scrabbled at the marsh cat's side, drawing even more blood. The marsh cat yowled in pain and ran off into the reeds after Aang dislodged himself from it.

Immediately, he raced over to Katara's side and pressed his nose into her fur, trying to revive her. He noticed she had huge gash in her flank that was bleeding heavily.

"Katara? Katara, wake up!" he tried desperately, but the young waterbender was unresponsive.

Aang pulled back in horror and grief and bowed his head over the top of her. He shut his eyes tight, a mixture of anger, sadness, and the agonizing pain of loss welled up in his chest, stinging far more than any of the wounds he had received in the battle. The pain overwhelmed him, and even though he knew what was happening, he didn't try to stop it.

Slash was approaching him from behind, prepared to destroy the apprentice once and for all. He was not prepared for what saw.

Aang swung around, his once dark grey eyes glowing a ghostly white and his face distorted in rage. The arrow on his forehead was glowing too, as was his white chest fur. Aang had entered the Avatar State.

The ground began to shake and steam began to erupt from the earth's very core. Sokka looked up from the opponent he was fighting and his gaze rested upon the spectacle that was currently Aang. Looking at the young Avatar's paws, he noticed the source of his pain: Katara's motionless body. Eyes wide with horror, Sokka recognized the danger that was at hand.

"Everyone!" he called out to the forest and bending cats, "We need to go! Now!"

His comrades did not hesitate and raced through the reed walls, Sokka taking up the rear. Toph quickly raced behind Aang and grabbed Katara's scruff, dragging her out with them.

Now all that remained were the thousands of marsh cats and the enraged Avatar. Aang pounded his paws on the rapidly hardening earth, causing an enormous crack to form in the ground. The crack widened to the point where it was no longer a crack, but a yawning hole in the earth that was rapidly pulling marsh cats into it's center. The bog's themselves began to bubble from the Avatar's fury. They became scalding hot, some of them even steaming. Many of them exploded from the ground and landed on marsh cats, burning them alive until Slash was the only cat that remained. The marsh cat made a last desperate leap for the golden colored apprentice. But he would not be able to defeat him, not when Aang's only instinct was to kill, to kill the source of his pain.

Knowing Slash was the cause of his pain, and the pain of all the forest cats, Aang unleashed his fury on him. The ground trembled even more and more scalding hot water rose from the ground. Slash stopped short, screeching in fear and frustration. Using this moment of terror to his advantage, Aang splayed his front legs out in front of him, sending a torrent of steam from deep inside the earth to come to the surface. The steam made contact with the marsh cat leader and blasted him away. Slash crashed into the ground with a cry of pain and fury, his body severely burned. But Aang was not finished, intent on making the marsh cat leader's death the most painful out of any deaths.

Pounding his forepaws into the ground once more, Aang forced a sharp, jutted rock to come up under Slash. The rock cut right though the once bloodthirsty cat's body. Now, there was a gaping hole in the middle of him. Slash's body jerked in a series of painful spasms before he went limp.

Slash was dead. All of the marsh cats were dead, and peace had been restored.


	21. Chapter 19

**A/N: Well, it is the end of the road. This story is now complete. Or is it? That's right, faithful reviewers, if enough people say yes, I will write a sequel! And I will put Zuko and Azula in it! Just say the word in your reviews!**

The ground had stopped shaking the marsh was eerily silent. Looking up from his current position, Sokka decided that it was safe to go back inside.

"I'll go back in," Sokka suggested to the exhausted warriors, figuring after seeing what they had seen, no one else would want to.

"I'll come with you," Toph said to him as she bounded over to his side.

"Us too," Winterfrost and Autumnleaf added as they ran up to him.

Sokka looked at the two Thunderclan warriors questioningly before asked, "Are you sure?"

They nodded. "Goldpaw is our friend too, Bravepaw," Autumnleaf murmured. "We want to make sure that he's okay."

Sokka nodded before leading off, his three friends following him.

It didn't take them long to reach the center of the marsh cat camp. Or what had once been the marsh cat camp. In truth, the place was in ruins, torn up earth and drained bogs everywhere. But where was Aang?

Sokka's question was answered soon enough when he located the young apprentice's motionless body, his golden colored pelt muddy and bleeding. His arrows were not glowing anymore, as he lay completely still. It was a far cry from the power he had just radiated before.

At first glance, Sokka thought that Aang was dead. However, as the four of them walked over to his body, Sokka noticed Aang's flank rising and falling slightly.

"He's alive," Toph announced, feeling the vibrations of his heartbeat in the ground.

Winterfrost nodded. "C'mon then," the white warrior said seriously, "We'd better take him to Pandafur."

With that, Winterfrost picked Aang up gently by the scruff and dragged him out of the camp followed by Autumnleaf.

Sokka surveyed the ruined marsh cat camp quickly once more before he asked Toph, "Is anyone else here?"

Toph paused before she said solemnly, "No. All the marsh cats are gone."

Sokka nodded in understanding before he headed off with Toph at his side.

ooooooooo

It was almost dawn before Aang began to stir. He opened his eyes groggily, not sure exactly where he was. The last thing he really remembered was finding Katara's motionless body…

Aang sat up, trying to push away the unwanted thought. They were outside of the marsh, he noticed, and he also noticed that many of the clan cats were sleeping, although some were awake. Some were having their wounds being tended too, others were drowsily sharing tongues.

The sounds of Aang's awakening brought Sokka to attention. The stone colored apprentice immediately rushed to his friend's side.

"How are you?" Sokka asked, concerned.

Aang replied, "A bit sore, but I'm okay."

Sokka nodded, then he noticed his friend look down at the ground in sadness.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

Aang was silent for a moment before he whispered, "Katara…she was…I couldn't…" he trailed off, anguish in his voice.

Sokka gazed at him for a moment before he said, "In that case, you'd better come with me."

With that, Sokka walked off, Aang following him rather reluctantly. They didn't stop until they had reached Pandafur. The Thunderclan medicine cat was crouched over the body of another cat, pressing cobwebs onto it's wounds. The cat underneath her stirred and yelped, "Ouch! That hurts!"

"They're only cobwebs," Pandafur said to the squirming cat at her paws. "Just hold still."

The she cat complied. All was quiet for a minute before Sokka spoke to Aang.

"Pandafur saved this apprentice's life. I don't think it would hury if you went and talked to her for a while."

Aang looked apprehensive, but he did as he was told. Pandafur looked up from her work and smiled before she stepped aside, although wasn't quite sure why. He found out once he was directly over the blue grey apprentice…

"Katara!" he exclaimed, happiness and relief replacing sadness.

Katara lifted her head and a look of relief crossed her face as well.

"Aang," she murmured his name.

Aang bent down and touched the side of his face to hers, a delighted purr escaping both of them.

Sokka smiled at the tender scene. At least they were back together. Then suddenly, he saw Sunstar approaching from behind him. The Thunderclan leader's eyes were full of thanks.

"Words cannot even begin to describe how thankful I am," he said. "You saved us. All of you."

"Well, thank you," Toph responded to the praise as she padded up to Sokka's side.

After another pause, Katara asked quietly, "So what are the casualties?"

Sunstar bowed his head in sorrow for a minute before he murmured, "Lightningbolt is dead. So is Wolfstar's deputy, Cougarclaw. Scarface is dead and Samurai is gone as well…" he trailed off, unable to finish.

The four apprentices glanced at each other before Aang asked, "So, who are the new deputies?"

Sunstar looked up to address the young golden colored cat before he replied, "Winterfrost is the new deputy of Thunderclan, and Wolfstar told me that he has appointed a cat named Sunshineagle to be his deputy. I'm only worried who is going to lead the bending cats now since Samurai died."

There was another pause before Aang piped up again, "I was there when Samurai died. He said I was the leader of the bending cats now. And I've been thinking. Maybe, if it's okay with you and the other clans, well, maybe we could let them join the clans."

Sunstar's eyes widened before he asked, "What do you mean, Goldpaw?"

Aang continued, "Well, think about it. We could split them up depending on what element they bend, kinda like the four nations. If they have kits with some of the other warriors around here, some of those kits could be benders as well. It would make the four clans stronger. What do you say, Sunstar?"

The Thunderclan leader paused in thought, before he said, "I'll discuss it with the other clan leaders.

Then, he walked away to make his decision with the other leaders, a decision that might affect the whole clans.

ooooooooooo

A long time had passed before Sunstar arrived back. He yowled out, "Let the cats from all of the clans join here for an important meeting."

Everyone complied, even Katara, thought she was still injured. When everyone was settled, Sunstar began to speak.

"I have talked with the other clan leaders and with the bending cats. We all know that their leader, Samurai died in the battle. Starclan will honor him. But now, we have decided that these cats need a permanent home. They will join the clans."

Murmurs of surprise were heard from all the clan cats, but none of them seemed to object. They knew how powerful the bending cats were.

"We will split them up based on the element of which they bend. Wolfstar has agreed to accept the airbenders, Reedstar will take in the waterbenders, Lonestar will accept the firebenders, and I am taking the earthbenders."

Meows of approval were heard. Clearly, the clan cats thought this was an excellent idea.

"There is one more ceremony to perform," Sunstar continued. "One for four special Thunderclan apprentices. Without them we would have all been destroyed, I think they deserve warrior names."

The clan cats once again yowled their approval.

Sunstar called, "Nightpaw, Bravepaw, Seapaw, and Goldpaw, come forward."

The four apprentices did so, stopping only when they were in front of their leader.

Sunstar yowled to the night sky, "I, Sunstar, leader of Thunderclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look upon these four apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of you're noble code, and I ask you to condemn them as warriors in their turns. Nightpaw, Bravepaw, Seapaw and Goldpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect and defend this clan even at the cost of your lives?"

"I do," the four young cats murmured in unison.

"Then by the powers of Starclan," Sunstar continued, "I give you your warrior names. Nightpaw, from this moment you will be known as Nightbandit. Starclan honors your loyalty and spirit, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Thunderclan."

Toph licked Sunstar's shoulder.

"Bravepaw, from this moment you will be known as Braveheart. Starclan honors your bravery and your strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Thunderclan."

Sokka stepped forward and licked Sunstar's shoulder.

"Seapaw, from this moment you will be known as Seamist. Starclan honors your courage and determination, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Thunderclan."

Katara limped up to Sunstar and licked his shoulder.

"And Goldpaw." Sunstar paused, as if considering something before he continued, "From this moment you will be known as Goldspirit. For I am sure that like me Starclan has never seen a spirit hat burned as brightly as yours. We welcome you as a full warrior of Thunderclan."

Aang was humbled by his leader's unexpected praise. But all the same, he walked forward and licked Sunstar's shoulder, purring his thanks.

As he went over to join his friends, he heard the clans cat calling their new names. _All_ of the clan cats.

"Nightbandit! Braveheart! Seamist! Goldspirit!" they chanted.

The four new warriors exchanged glances with one another as they listened to the chanting. They looked up into the night sky. And the stars seemed to be getting brighter…

Gasping with realization, the four of them huddled together before the stars flashed and everything went black.

oooooooo

Aang looked up, shaking his head, and not knowing where they were. He tried to sit up, but something felt different. Looking down at the rest of his body, he realized that he was no longer a cat, but a human once more. His friends were the same way.

They rest of them sat up, realizing that they were in the same location they had been in before they had changed into cats.

Not wanting to talk about, Sokka said, walking over to Appa and packing their things, "Well, we should get moving. We need to get to Ba Sing Se if we want to warn the Earth King about the war."

The others agreed with him and also began packing.

Aang started to help them, but he was stopped by a rustling sound in the bushes. He looked over in the direction of the forest…to see a pair of gleaming amber eyes.

"Well done, young Goldspirit," the owner of the eyes said. "Starclan will honor you and your friends for what you have done for us. Good luck on your journey, and remember that the spirits of Starclan are always with you." Then, the eyes disappeared.

Aang smiled. "Thank you, Sunstar," he whispered.

"Aang, c'mon!" Sokka called out. He and the others were already on Appa's back, ready for takeoff.

Aang raced over to join his friends before airlifting himself at Appa's front. With a cry of "Yip, yip!" Appa soared into the sky, leaving the territory of the four clans far behind them. However, the four young heroes would never forget their adventure, and how they had fulfilled the prophecy, bringing peace to the forest.

**A/N: Well, there you have it! And like I said before let me know it you all want a sequel because I'd be happy to do one!**


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